Kairi's Epic Journey: The Quest for Sora
by Mad Dr. Matt
Summary: "Follow in the footsteps of your special one and a broken heart may be healed." These are the words Kairi must heed as she sets off on her own journey through the worlds to reunite with her beloved Sora and become the hero she's always wanted to be. (SoKai, Post-KH3, No Re: Mind, More Detailed Summary Inside)
1. Summary

**_Disclaimer: _**_The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix. Although, if I were the owner, I certainly wouldn't have ended the last game the way it did. _

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**__ Greetings! It is I, Mad Dr. Matt, making my grand return to the site. I know it's been quite some time since I was active on the site. But after the heartbreaking ending of Kingdom Hearts III, I decided it was high time to get back to writing. So while we wait for what hopefully will be an official happy ending in a future game, I'd like to present my take on it. Anyway, without further ado, here's the summary._

* * *

_Seven months since Sora's ultimate sacrifice._

_One month since they suspended the search._

_They say that home is where the heart is. _

_But in the aftermath of Xehanort's defeat, the Destiny Islands may never feel like home again for Kairi._

_Wracked with guilt and estranged from her friends, she clings to the dwindling hope that Sora will return._

_But at her lowest point, she is bestowed with a special gift: a mysterious talisman that, as she has been told, will lead her to 'where she needs to be'._

_With the talisman in hand and accompanied by King Mickey's faithful dog Pluto, Kairi sets out on a quest that takes her through the many worlds from her beloved's adventures._

_Will the quest heal a broken heart?_

_Or will the dark forces conspiring to stop her will render Sora's sacrifice in vain?_

_Find out in…_

**Kairi's Epic Journey: The Quest for Sora**

**A Fanfiction by Mad Dr. Matt**

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_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**__ Hope that's got you all psyched for the story. I just want to give a shout out to the various authors whose works either explore the immediate aftermath of Kingdom Hearts III or the possible futures of our favorite couple. These include but are not limited to: Keywielder Anima, PhoenixDowner, NaruSaku fan in Kentucky, and Spiderfan626. I highly encourage you to seek out and read their works if you haven't already as well as check out the tumblrs of PhoenixDowner and Keywielder Anima. Now it's time to move onto the prologue!_


	2. Prologue: The King Checks In

**_Disclaimer: _**_The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**__ Greetings readers. Here are a couple things I'd like to tell you. First of all, this story is not going to take Re:Mind into account since I created the concept before it even was announced. Also, a warning: it's going to be pretty sad for the next couple of chapters. Anyway, here's the prologue._

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**Prologue: The King Checks In**

**Destiny Islands**

It was late afternoon on the Destiny Islands. Many of the islanders were currently heading home from work, eating dinner or just relaxing. But one Keyblade Master was far from relaxed.

Lying down on his bed in his room, Riku reflected on many things. Today had marked the end of the seventh month since the Keyblade War.

Seven months since Xehanort struck Kairi down.

Seven months since Sora set out to find her.

Seven months since she came back without him.

Suddenly, Riku's Gummi Phone went off. He immediately looked at the caller i.d. and saw that it was Mickey's number. He answered it and soon the kind face of the mouse king of Disney Castle appeared on the screen.

"Hiya Riku," said Mickey.

"Hey Mickey," said Riku.

"How are things over there?"

"Pretty much the same since you last checked in."

Mickey's face fell. "That bad, huh? Kairi still hasn't spoken to you?"

"No, she hasn't. Whenever we see each other at school or anywhere else, she just turns away and acts like I'm not even there."

"That's awful. And it's not like her at all. Kairi's never been one to hold grudges before."

"Tell me about it. Every time I see her now, it's like I'm looking at a stranger. Kairi always had a love for life much like Sora did. But now that spark that she always had is gone. I'm really getting worried about her."

Mickey gave a sympathetic look. "Gosh, Riku. I'm really sorry. When she lashed out at us a month ago, I told you to give her time. But I'm thinking that her wounds are too great for any amount of time to heal."

"You do know what the only thing that could heal them is, right?" asked Riku.

"Yes. But unfortunately, that may be out of our hands."

Riku sighed. "How did we not see this coming, Mickey? How could we have known how she was really feeling?"

"The truth is, Riku, we did anticipate such a state of mind from her. The problem, however, was that she did too good a job of hiding it that we assumed that she wasn't feeling that way," said Mickey.

"She certainly fooled all of us. But still, aside from Sora, I know Kairi better than anyone. I should have known that she was feeling that way," said Riku.

"I know, Riku. I just wish there was something we could do for her," said Mickey.

"Well, you did send Pluto to her and at least she allows him to be with her so she's not alone all the time."

"He was glad to go there to offer her some comfort. They really bonded during the time she was captured by the Organization. But how are you doing? You holdin' up okay?" asked Mickey.

Riku gave a heavy sigh. "Honestly Mickey, I'm not sure. I keep thinking back to the day at the Land of Departure and I can't help but wonder if we made the right call."

"I hear you, Riku. Even I'm having my doubts now. It did sound like the smart thing to do at the time."

"But was it the right thing? I don't even know anymore especially after what Kairi revealed to us after. And seeing how she's been this past month, I'd give anything to get her back to being herself again," said Riku.

"I know. I hate that she's suffering so much. More than we ever thought possible"

Riku stood up from his bed and walked over to the window. He held the phone up to show Mickey the view of the Play Island in the distance.

"Whenever she's not at school or sleeping, she goes there with Pluto and spends the whole day there. I don't know what she does over there. Although, seeing as how it's the end of another month, I can guess that she's going to send out her monthly letter in a bottle. She's really hoping that those messages will reach him and guide him back to her like they did the last time."

"We all hoped that would work. That's why Donald gave her that magic bottle so she would always have an endless supply of unbreakable bottles with waterproof labels to send her messages. But it's not looking like lightning is going to strike twice."

"There's never a miracle around when you need one," said Riku.

"Anyway, just keep an eye on her as best as you can even if she doesn't want you to. In her frame of mind, I fear for what may happen. I'll check in at another time, but you know you can call me anytime if you need me even just to talk," said Mickey.

"Thanks, Mickey. Talk to you later," said Riku.

"Same to you, pal. Take care," said Mickey as he hung up.

Riku then gazed out the window. From it, he could make out a small spot of pink walk along the beach of the Play Island followed by a yellow spot. It looked like they were on their way to the Secret Place.

As he watched, tears came to his eyes as he broke down and wept. _'It's just not fair. Terra, Aqua and Ven were reunited after ten years. Axel got Isa back as well as Roxas and Xion despite the unlikelihood of that. Mickey, Donald and Goofy got to go home to their loved ones. Even Naminè got a one-in-a-million chance to have her own life. But as for the three of us? Sora's probably gone forever and Kairi and I may never be friends again. Sora, if there was ever a time that we needed you the most, this is it.'_

Though the Second Keyblade War was over and the forces of good had triumphed, the price was too great.

The Hero of Light was gone.

His Princess of Heart was heartbroken.

Though the light had won, the world now seemed a lot less bright.

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**_Notes from the Mad Doctor:_**_ Sad, huh? And it's only going to get sadder. The events of the Keyblade War and what happened afterward have had rather unfortunate effects on our heroes, not just Kairi. This will be explored in later chapters. I only hope I'm doing a good job writing this story because truth be told, this kind of story isn't my forte. I'm usually better with good versus evil stories so bear with me that I am venturing into unknown territory with all this deep character emotion. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are much appreciated. Stay tuned!_


	3. Ch 1: When Everything Fell Apart

**_Disclaimer: _**_The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

**_Notes from the Mad Doctor:_**_ Greetings readers. Now we finally get to look in on our leading lady. Also, this chapter features a song being played but since I can't write the lyrics in, I will indicate it with the note In-Universe Music. That'll let you know what song is happening in the scene and where it's coming from. Let the drama begin. Enjoy!_

**_Edit Note: _**_This chapter has been edited to conform to this site's rules. If you wish to read the chapter as it was originally written, look this story up on Archive of Our Own._

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**Chapter 1: When Everything Fell Apart**

**Destiny Islands**

Crouching down, Kairi was practically crawling as she entered the Secret Place on the Play Island. She remembered how easily it used to be when she was little. But now that seemed like such a lifetime ago.

Soon, she emerged in the cave. All around were the scribbles that she, Sora and Riku had doodled throughout the years. As she walked toward the door to the world's heart, she averted her eyes from glancing at a certain drawing. Looking at that one would only bring her more pain.

Stopping right in front of the door, Kairi gazed on what she had added to it. Though she had always been more of a writer, she did have a small talent for art. After all, Naminè had to get it from somewhere and it definitely wasn't from the other person who had a hand in bringing her into existence.

But what was now on the door was a far more ambitious piece of art than the various doodles on the walls. It was an elaborate woodcut picture that had been partially painted in. It almost resembled a stained-glass window made of wood.

A small whine was heard. Kairi turned around and saw that Pluto had emerged into the cave.

"I'm going to finish this today, Pluto. I want it to be ready when Sora comes back," she said a little more half-heartedly than she meant to. The dog just laid down and watched Kairi get to work.

First, Kairi took out her Gummi Phone and opened up the music app. It still fascinated her how useful the device was especially the fact that she could get several of her favorite songs. Selecting a song, one that she had listened to very often since starting this project, she pressed play and the set it on the ground next to the door as the piano introduction began.

**(In-Universe Music: Don't Think Twice by Utada Hikaru playing on Kairi's Gummi Phone)**

She then reached over where she had left some painting supplies in the cave and took out a painter's smock. Once donning it, she assembled herself a palette of colors, selected a brush and began to work on the picture_._

As she added the colors to her picture, tears began to run down her eyes and onto the palette wetting the paint. But in spite of it, she carried on painting as she thought back to the day one month ago when things truly started to fall apart.

* * *

**Land of Departure, One Month Ago**

"Fire!" shouted Kairi as a ball of fire emerged from Destiny's Embrace. The fire soared across a field and incinerated a target.

"Well done, Kairi! You're getting a lot better at casting magic," said Aqua who had been instructing her.

"Thanks Aqua. It's good to know that I'm improving. But then again, everyone is," said Kairi as she looked around at the others.

Riku, Ventus and Goofy were sparring. Terra was teaching Roxas and Axel how to transform their Keyblades into Keyblade Gliders. Xion was running and dodging through a gauntlet of various magical attacks conjured by Donald as Mickey oversaw them. Nearby, Naminè was sketching while Chirithy watched all the action.

"Things are going to be different when the next big threat comes along. We'll have an unstoppable team. Yen Sid even said that he was going to give Terra and Axel a Mark of Mastery exam in the near future," said Aqua.

"That's great! Then you'll both have finally achieved your dream," said Kairi.

"Yes. After all this time. I just wish Master Eraqus had lived to see it," said Aqua casting her gaze downward.

Kairi placed her hand on the Keyblade Master's shoulder. "He may not be here anymore. But he's still watching you from wherever he may be. And I know he'd be proud of you as well as Terra and Ven."

Aqua mustered a smile. "Thanks, Kairi."

"Anytime, Aqua," said Kairi with a smile.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you this: how have you been doing lately?" asked Aqua.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been quite busy these past few months. Whenever you're not training, you seem to be doing a lot of research. I've noticed you working through much of Master Eraqus' old Keyblade lore as well as all of the notes on the Heartless and Nobodies that Jiminy wrote down. Also, is it true that Chip and Dale are also teaching you how to take care of Gummi Ships?"

"Yes, I am Aqua. And I've just been trying to learn a few extra useful skills. There are more ways that I can help than just by fighting. If trouble comes back, I want to be as useful as possible," said Kairi.

Aqua felt a sudden feeling of pity toward the Princess of Heart. _'I can't believe she still feels that she wasn't useful during the Keyblade War way even after all these months. Kairi, don't you realize that if you hadn't kept Sora alive, we would have lost completely?'_

"And what about your…?" Aqua hesitated to finish her question.

Kairi looked into her eyes and knew what she was meaning. "My scar?"

Aqua nodded in response. Much to the dismay of everyone, when Kairi had been restored, they discovered that she had not come back unscathed.

On her back, extending from her right shoulder to her left hip, was a long ugly slash mark that was unhealable by medicine or magic. An unfortunate reminder of when Xehanort struck her down.

"It's fine, Aqua. It hasn't hurt in months. Why are you so curious right now?" asked Kairi.

"Just wanting to make sure you're okay," said Aqua with a gentle smile.

"I am and I appreciate your concern. But right now, I just want to focus on training and honing all my skills. Now I think my other spells could use some improvement. I think my aim with the Thunder spells could be better. I want to be in tiptop shape for when we go looking for Sora."

The smile vanished from Aqua's face. "Kairi, there's something I need to tell you."

"Oh that reminds me. There's something I need to tell you all. In fact, I better do it right now. Hey everyone! Come over here!" she called excitedly. Everyone stopped what they were doing and immediately headed toward the two girls.

"What's up, Kairi?" asked Ven.

"Yeah. You seem pretty excited," said Goofy.

"Oh I am. And you're going to be excited too."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense. Out with it!" exclaimed Donald.

"Okay. This morning, I felt something I hadn't felt for so long. It was Sora! I felt him! We can find him!"

Surprisingly, the group's reaction was not that of excitement. Instead, they gazed at the Princess of Heart with skepticism.

"You felt him?" asked Roxas.

"Well, it was only for a few minutes. But I know it was him! He's somewhere out there in the worlds and now we can set out to bring him home!"

"Kairi, are you sure you didn't dream it?" asked Xion.

"No, I was awake. It happened just before I left my house to come here. Guys, why are being so doubtful? Don't you believe me?"

"No one's calling you a lair, Kairi. But it has been six months. Why would you feel Sora's presence now and only for a few minutes at that?" asked Mickey.

"Yeah, Kairi. I can't even feel Sora anymore and I spent a long time in his heart," said Ven.

"Well, I don't think amount of time has anything to do with it since Roxas and I were in the same boat. But we haven't felt Sora either," said Xion.

_'Yes but you guys never shared a paopu fruit with Sora and I think that makes a big difference,'_ thought Kairi who was getting angrier by her friends' doubts by the second.

"Maybe you only imagined it," said Mickey.

Kairi couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No, I didn't. Guys, it was real! Why aren't you taking this seriously?"

Aqua gave a heavy sigh as she walked up to Kairi and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kairi, this isn't going to be easy to hear. But some of us have been talking."

"Talking? Talking about what?" asked the Princess of Heart.

Terra chimed in, "Please understand that this was not an easy decision. But many of us believe that maybe it's time to suspend the search for Sora."

Kairi gasped. "Suspend? You mean, give up? We can't!"

"Try to understand where we're coming from, Kairi. Over the past six months, we've looked into anything about the Power of Waking for some way that could help us get Sora back. We've looked through everything Master Yen Sid, Master Eraqus, Merlin and Ansem the Wise had, and we've found nothing," said Aqua.

"Even I have no solution at all, Kairi, and I've been around a lot longer than anybody here," chimed in Chirithy.

"I know. I didn't find anything either in all my research. But just because we haven't found a solution doesn't mean there isn't one. There has to be something!" shouted Kairi as she pulled away from Aqua and turned to the rest of their group. "You all can't be seriously considering this, can you?"

The ones in the group who had yet to voice their opinion gave uncomfortable looks. Kairi could see the conflict in their eyes. That just made her madder.

Axel spoke up, "Kairi, you know I'm hardly the one to be rational. But we can't spend the rest of our lives looking for him. Especially when we have no idea where to start."

"And it's not like we're giving up completely, Kairi. If something does come up, we'll pursue it. But for now, maybe it is best we stop actively looking and just move forward. It might actually help us adjust to the possibility that he might be…" began Mickey before being interrupted by the increasingly distraught Princess of Heart.

"He's not gone forever! I felt him! He's out there somewhere! I know he is!" Kairi turned to Riku, Donald and Goofy. "Riku, Donald, Goofy, you believe me, don't you? You don't want to give up on Sora too?"

What she saw in the eyes of Sora's closest friends were the same conflict that the others had shown. After a few moments, Riku spoke up, "Kairi, you know I want Sora back just as much as you do. But…"

"But what?"

"…they are making some very good points."

Kairi felt like she had been stabbed in the back by the one she thought would always have her back. She looked to Donald and Goofy who sadly nodded.

_'You promised! When I got back, you promised we would find him!'_

"Look, I'll try to reach out to him! I'll see if I can detect where he is!" said Kairi desperately as she closed her eyes and tried to focus on Sora.

_'Come on, Sora! Wherever you are, please let me know! Please show me where we can find you!'_

She stayed that way for minutes. But there was no response.

Tears began to drip down her cheeks. She felt a hand take her own. Opening her eyes, she saw Mickey holding her hand.

"Kairi, maybe you'd better go take a rest. We can discuss this later when you've calmed down," he said.

Kairi wrenched her hand out of Mickey's. "No offense, Your Majesty, but I think you've all made it perfectly clear there's nothing to discuss since it appears that your minds are all made up on this. So, don't count on me ever coming around here again!" she shouted as she started to run away from them.

"Kairi, wait!" shouted Xion.

"Don't go!" shouted Naminè.

Kairi stopped in her tracks and whipped around, her face a portrait of hurt and rage. "How could you all? After all that Sora has done for you, you all just give up on him?"

She looked at Terra, Aqua and Ven. "He didn't even know you and still risked everything to undo the damage Xehanort did to you."

She looked at Roxas, Naminè and Xion. "He's not only responsible for your existences but he also made it his mission to get you your own lives."

She looked at Axel. "He forgave you for what you put him through even when he had every right not to."

She looked at Mickey. "He did everything you ever asked of him even when you didn't make him a Master when he clearly deserved to be one."

She looked at Riku, Donald and Goofy. "He…" But she couldn't even form the words because she was thoroughly disgusted by Sora's closest friends.

"Sora told me that his greatest power was his friends. But right now, I see no one who deserves to be called that." And with that Kairi ran away.

She never looked back.

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**_Notes from the Mad Doctor: _**_I know I've made Riku and the others look like bad friends in this chapter. We'll explore more into their reasoning further down the road. Plus, Kairi was no prize herself. But as the trolls in Frozen would say: people make bad choices when they're mad or scared or stressed. Anyway, the next chapter will have one more scene in this flashback before we return to the present. Reviews are much appreciated. Stay tuned!_


	4. Ch 2: Guilt Revealed

**_Disclaimer: _**_The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**__ Greetings readers. Bet you're wondering how I am able to post so many chapters in such a short time. Truth be told, I started this story months ago and it's been sitting in my computer for awhile. Now that I've finally decided to post it, I've just been revising what I already have written before posting. But soon, the supply of ready chapters will dry up and the updates won't be as frequent so enjoy it while you can. Anyway, let's wrap up the flashback and then get back to the present. Enjoy!_

**_Edit Note: _**_This chapter has been edited to conform to this site's rules. If you wish to read the chapter as it was originally written, look this story up on Archive of Our Own._

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**Chapter 2: Guilt Revealed**

**Land of Departure, One Month Ago**

Kairi ran toward the area where the Gummi Ships were parked. Since the Keyblade War, she had learned how to pilot them. And right now, she needed to get as far away as possible from the Land of Departure.

Heading for the Gummi Ship that belonged to her and Riku, she headed for the door and entered the security code to open it. But before she could enter, she heard a voice call, "Kairi! Wait!"

She stopped in the doorway and turned to see Riku, Donald and Goofy running toward her. They gave desperate looks of imploring to her.

"I have nothing to say to you, Riku. Not to any of you."

"Come back, Kairi. I know you didn't mean to say those things. Just apologize and then we can talk about it some more," said Riku.

"Apologize? For what? Not wanting to give up on finding our best friend just because everyone else wants to? I don't think so," said Kairi.

"We don't know what everyone's stance is on this. We didn't hear everyone's opinion," said Donald.

"They weren't exactly leaping to my defense either or believing me when I said I felt him out there. I could see it in their eyes. Everyone but me is giving up on him and that is unforgivable," retorted Kairi.

"It's not easy for us to do this, Kairi. We don't want to give up on him either. Sora's one of our best friends. It's just that there's other things that need to be taken care of. Terra, Aqua, and Ven need to pretty much start their lives over now since they've been gone for a long time," said Goofy.

"Axel too. And Roxas, Xion and Naminè need to adjust to finally being able to have lives of their own," said Riku.

"And we have families and loved ones back at Disney Castle that we haven't seen for a long time," said Donald.

"You can't blame them for that," said Riku.

"Normally I wouldn't. But not when it means that you're all going to go on with your lives and leave Sora all alone wherever he is."

"Kairi, please. After six months with nothing to go on, we may have to be realistic and stop hoping for what may be the impossible," said Riku although there was hesitance in his voice.

"Realistic? If Sora had that attitude, he never would have done the greatest things he ever did. Like when you were hiding from him when you were stuck in the form of Ansem. Sora would've gone through every world out there looking for you even though he had no real idea where to start. And you and the others can't even do the same."

Kairi turned around to lean against the doorframe. The tears began to drip faster.

"Don't you see, Riku? I've got to get him back. It's the only way to make it up to him."

Donald and Goofy were confused. Riku, however, was struck with horror. _'Oh no. Please not this.'_

"What do you mean 'make it up to him'?" asked Donald.

"What do I mean? I'll tell you what I mean! My best friend, who means more to me than anything in the world, is gone and it was my fault!"

Riku, Donald and Goofy looked shocked at Kairi's last statement. "Kairi, what are you talkin' about? It wasn't…" began Goofy before Kairi interrupted.

"Yes it was, Goofy!" she screamed before continuing in a calmer voice but one that was still riddled with pain and hurt.

"'The fire that feeds Sora's anger.' That's what Isa, when he was Saïx, called me when I was being held in the Organization's dungeon. I hated the fact that they were using me to force Sora into doing what they wanted. Then when Riku gave me my Keyblade, I thought that this was my chance. A chance to be more than someone who needed to be rescued all the time. I wanted to be someone who Sora would be proud to have stand by his side and count on to keep him safe. And then what happens? I get kidnapped again and then a madman murders me to give Sora 'motivation'. Then when he comes to save me and I think everything is going to be okay, he has to trade his own life so I could come back to an unbearable life without him. So that's it. Sora's gone and it's all my fault," said Kairi.

Riku, Donald and Goofy were absolutely stunned. Throughout the months of Sora's absence, Kairi had not once indicated that she was feeling guilt over what happened. She had appeared to be okay. But now it appeared that she had been simply putting on a brave front to hide how she was really feeling.

_'All that extra training and studying and throughout it all, seeming to be completely alright. How could I not have seen through it all when I feared she would blame herself?__'_ thought Riku.

Kairi held up her hand and summoned Destiny's Embrace. "You know, I wish these things had never come to us and we wouldn't have gotten involved at all. That way, Sora would still be with us."

Kairi then tossed away her Keyblade and it landed at the feet of Riku, Donald and Goofy. They gazed sadly at it before it disappeared.

"Kairi, I…" began Riku.

"Just leave me alone, Riku. If I'm the only one who's willing to keep hoping for Sora's return, then I don't want anything to do with any of you. So tell Master Yen Sid that he's got one less Keyblade Wielder to worry about because I am out for good."

Kairi then entered the Gummi Ship and the door closed behind her. Once she entered the cockpit, she began the takeoff sequence and the Gummi Ship took off. Through her teary eyes, she gave a look of contempt to the Land of Departure down below.

_'They may be able to move on with their lives without him. But I can't and I won't.'_

* * *

**Destiny Islands, Present Day**

**(In-Universe Music: Don't Think Twice by Utada Hikaru playing on Kairi's Gummi Phone)**

The song on the Gummi Phone played on while Kairi continued to paint as Pluto watched her. While she worked, she mulled over the thoughts of those final moments with her friends. She wasn't even sure she could call them that anymore. Having spent the last month not only feeling guilty for what happened to Sora but for lashing out at her friends like that, there had been times when she considered calling them and apologizing. But until they admitted their own wrongs, she would withhold that apology.

Some of them had made attempts to talk to her over the last month either in person or through the Gummi Phone. But the moment the conversation turned to the subject of moving on, she would immediately dismiss them. Eventually, the attempts ceased.

Finally, she stopped painting. She stepped backwards and beheld the now completed woodcut.

It depicted a young man with spiky brown hair dressed in a black outfit with a young woman with red hair dressed in a pink outfit. They were gazing into each other's eyes and were holding each other's hands. A sunrise was behind them and a heart shape framed the picture.

"Well, Pluto, what do you think? Did I do a good job?"

The dog walked up to her side. He gave a look as if he was trying to comprehend what was in front of him. Finally, he gave a happy look and a happy bark.

In spite of herself, Kairi allowed a small giggle as she scratched the dog on his head. Though Mickey was not currently among her favorite people, she was grateful to him for sending Pluto to stay with her. He was a very good listener, a great comforter and he never told her what to do or how to feel.

"Do you think Sora will like it?"

Pluto once again barked in affirmative.

"I hope so too. I started this to help keep my hope alive. That he'd come back and then we would have so many moments like this," said Kairi before she fell to her knees sobbing. She put her right arm around Pluto. He nuzzled against her.

Wiping away her tears, she rose up and took off the smock. "Come on. I still need to write my letter and then we can go home."

After gathering up the paints, she then reached for the Gummi Phone. But then she stopped. Since her work was done and she wasn't speaking to her friends, she really had no use for it anymore. So, she left it where it was.

She then walked out of the Secret Place with Pluto following close behind. Before leaving completely, she glanced one more time at her work.

It may have started as a hope for the future. But, if she was being completely honest with herself, it may as well be a wish that would never come true.

Left behind, the Gummi Phone finished its song.

* * *

**_Notes from the Mad Doctor:_**_ Hope Kairi's not too out of character here. Personally, I think it's pretty believable how she's been acting given all that she's been through. We still got a couple more chapters before this adventure officially starts. Reviews are much appreciated. Stay tuned!_


	5. Ch 3: A Talk with Mom

**_Disclaimer: _**_The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

**_Notes from the Mad Doctor:_**_ Greetings readers. In this chapter, you get to meet my version of Kairi's adoptive mother. I couldn't find or think of any Kingdom Hearts-ish sounding names that would fit her as well as Sora's parents (who are mentioned in this chapter) so I looked to a different source: actors who were recurring faces around Disney's live action films. See if you can guess which actors I'm referring to. Also, this chapter introduces another music feature that I hope will enhance your reading pleasure: Mood Music. I have actually created a playlist of Disney songs that, while are not incorporated into the story themselves like the In-Universe Music, really set the mood for certain scenes. So when you see a Mood Music note (no pun intended), that's when you'll know to play the song (hopefully you can find it on YouTube or somewhere). Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Talk with Mom**

**Destiny Islands**

It was past sunset when Kairi and Pluto entered her home. The dog wandered off into the house while she took off her shoes and headed for the stairs. All she wanted to do was spend the rest of the evening in her room before going to sleep.

She was halfway up the stairs when she suddenly heard, "You missed dinner again, Kairi."

_'Rats!'_ thought Kairi as she turned and saw a blonde-haired woman with brown eyes and wearing glasses, a green shirt and skirt standing with her arms crossed in front of her. It was her adoptive mother Dorothy.

"Sorry, Mom. I guess I lost track of time."

"You've been doing that a lot lately. Your father and I would like to see you at meals once in a while especially on days that he doesn't have to work late at the office," said Dorothy.

"Is he still up?" asked Kairi.

"No, he went to bed. He has wake up early to travel tomorrow to the north side to oversee a few projects. He would've really liked to see you before he left."

"Again, I'm sorry and I'll apologize to Dad when he comes home. But right now, I really just want to go to my room," said Kairi as she began to ascend the stairs.

"Oh no you don't, young lady. You need to eat something. Besides, you need to feed Pluto as well," said Dorothy indicating with a nod of her head to Pluto who come alongside her with his dog bowl in his mouth.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Pluto. I'll get your food right away," said Kairi as she headed down the stairs, took the dog bowl from Pluto and headed toward the kitchen.

* * *

"There you go, Pluto. Eat up," said Kairi as she put the dog bowl, which was now filled with dog food in front of her canine companion. Pluto eagerly dug in.

With the dog fed, Kairi headed to the kitchen table where a bowl of soup was waiting for her. Her mother sat across from her as she began to eat.

"So, what were you doing this afternoon on the Play Island?" asked Dorothy.

"Oh. I was just finishing up a little art project I've been working on throughout the month."

"An art project, you say. Well, it's good to hear that you've been keeping yourself busy. You've been spending so much time over there. What is the project anyway?"

"It's kind of personal so I'd rather not say," said Kairi. _'She'd probably worry more if she knew that I was carving and painting a picture of me and Sora.'_

"Well, as long as you're doing something other than just sitting around there, that's good," said Dorothy before she realized something. "Oh! It's the end of the month. Don't you usually send out a letter to Sora?"

Kairi suddenly dropped her spoon. A morose look came over her face. Dorothy became concerned.

"Kairi? Did I say something wrong?"

"I didn't send out a letter at all, Mom."

Dorothy looked surprised. "That's unusual. Why not?"

"I don't know. I must've sat there for at least a half hour with the pen in my hand and the paper in front of me. But I couldn't write anything down and I've never been unable to do that before."

_'Then again, aside from completing the picture, there really hasn't been anything worth writing about this month. What would Sora think if I told him that Riku and the others had given up on finding him?'_

Dorothy rose from her chair and walked over to the other side of the table. Sitting down in a chair next to her daughter, she put her hand on her shoulder and said, "Kairi, you know your father and I have supported this letter writing because we know what it means to you. So, I know what I'm about to say may not be what you want to hear. But don't you think the reason you couldn't write anything to write to him this time may be a sign that you're starting to accept that he's not coming back?"

Kairi almost burst out with rage. But not wanting to start an argument with her mother, she restrained herself and let her continue.

"I know you've kept hoping that he'll come back, and I know you don't want to accept a world where he's not in it. Believe me, no one here does not even your father and me. It doesn't seem right to not see you, Sora and Riku together like before. But as hard as it is, we all need to adjust no matter how much it hurts to. Even Jones and Hayley have to, and heaven only knows how much they're hurting from the loss of their son."

_'I can't lose that hope, Mom. If I do, I don't know what I'll do.'_

"We all still can hardly believe what you kids have been through over the past few years since that big storm. If you never showed us those Keyblades of yours and hadn't introduced King Mickey and his friends to us, we probably would have never believed you. I can't even believe that you were actually dead for a time. But I'll always be grateful to Sora for bringing you back even if it cost him more than he anticipated."

_'It wouldn't have happened if I had been better and stronger. And then Sora wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself again for me.'_

"It's just not fair, Mom. Sora did so much for so many people throughout the worlds. The worlds probably wouldn't even be still standing if it weren't for him. Doesn't he deserve a happy ending of his own?" asked Kairi who on the verge of crying again.

"Yes, I think of all people, he did. I know you were hoping for so much with him, Kairi. When you told your father and me that you shared a paopu fruit with him, we were overjoyed because we always knew there was something special between you two that would have grown into something wonderful. But the sad truth is that we rarely get what we deserve."

_"That's certainly true. From what the others told me, after all the pain and suffering he caused, Xehanort's ultimate fate was to journey to the afterlife alongside Master Eraqus, his best friend who he murdered. Why did he get a kind of a happy ending when we didn't?"_ thought Kairi bitterly as she recalled the man who had scarred her in so many ways.

"All you can do now, Kairi, is make the most of the second chance that Sora gave you. He wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life miserable."

_'No. He'd want me to spend the rest of my life with him.'_

"Time heals all wounds, Sweetie. You just have to let it. Now you just finish up your soup and then get yourself to bed."

"Yes, Mom."

Dorothy then got up and left the kitchen. Kairi just sat at the table staring at her dinner. She wasn't feeling very hungry anymore.

* * *

**(Mood Music: Wherever You Are (End Title) by Barry Coffing and Vonda Shepard from Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin)**

Much later, after showering and dressing in her nightgown, Kairi sat on the window box in her room. Pluto was laying down with his head in her lap as she scratched it while gazing out at the starry night.

Despite what her mother had said, Kairi often tried to delay going to sleep as much as she could. This was due to the fact that whenever she let sleep take her, the nightmares would come, and they would always have the same theme.

In all of her dreams, she and Sora would often be doing something together in one of the many worlds he had visited. They would be competing in the games at the Olympus Coliseum, swinging and sliding through the trees of the Deep Jungle or soaring through the skies of Never Land. They would be happy right before he would just vanish and leave her all alone in her sadness.

_'As bad as they all are, they were nothing compared to the first one. The one where we were all celebrating on the Play Island and Sora and I were watching the sunset hand-in-hand. He looked so happy and I was so relieved that we had made it that I cried. Then he just faded away.'_

Looking out at the stars, Kairi thought about Sora's other friends throughout the worlds. She thought of Rapunzel, Hercules, Jack Skellington, Aladdin, Ariel, Simba, Big Hero 6, Jack Sparrow, Mulan, Tarzan and everyone else and how blissfully unaware that a good friend of theirs was gone.

_'I wonder what they would think if they knew. Would they believe that he could be saved? Or would they think he's gone for good?'_

Pluto let out a whimper. She met his sympathetic gaze.

"Oh Pluto. I know Mom means well. But she doesn't understand that finding Sora is the only way I can make it up to him. Of course, she doesn't know that I blame myself. I wonder if Riku and the others knew that, would they have reconsidered giving up?"

Pluto just looked at her with an unsure look. Clearly, he didn't have the answer.

Kairi let out a deep sigh. "I don't know what to believe anymore, Pluto. Maybe Mom's right. Maybe I finally am starting to accept that Sora's gone."

She then let out a sob. _'But I can't! I just can't! Because if I do, then I'll never see him again, I'll never be free of the guilt and I'll have wrecked things with my friends all for nothing!'_

But on some level, Kairi knew that her hope was at an all time low. Her inability to write a letter was proof of that.

Kairi wiped away her tears. "Come on. Let's go to bed. It looks like my dreams are the only way to see him now even if they all end badly. But it's better than nothing."

Pluto leapt off Kairi's lap as she rose up and walked to her bed. Sadly, she climbed in and pulled the covers up to her chin. Pluto climbed up the foot of the bed and curled up in his usual spot.

With one final sniffle, Kairi finally allowed sleep to take her. As she drifted off, she wondered what dream would haunt her in the midst of her diminishing hope and increasing guilt.

* * *

**_Notes from the Mad Doctor: _**_Hopefully, you were able to find the song because I think that song really fits in with how Kairi's feeling in this scene. Also, I know they say to not explain the in-joke. But in case you guys didn't get it, Kairi's mom is named after Dorothy McGuire who played the mothers in Old Yeller and Swiss Family Robinson. Sora's parents, Hayley and Jones, are named after Hayley Mills from The Parent Trap and Pollyanna (and an extra reference to Haley Joel Osment) and Dean Jones from the Herbie movies. And though he's unnamed here, I've given Kairi's dad the name Parker after Fess Parker who played Davy Crockett and the father of Old Yeller. Also, you'll note that for the purposes of this story, I am treating that last scene from Kingdom Hearts III as a dream of Kairi's. In my opinion, that party on the beach seemed a little in poor taste given Sora imminent demise (not to mention the way it teased us by making it seem we're getting a Disney happy ending and then pulling an Avengers: Infinity War). If it did happen in reality, either Sora had already said his goodbyes and just spent his final moments with Kairi (which I don't find likely) or none of them except for Kairi knew it was going to happen (which is probably more likely). That's just my interpretation of the scene. Feel free to share your own. Anyway, sorry I've been spending so much time on the slow buildup. You'll get a more action-packed chapter in the next update as I put our girl through one doozy of a nightmare. Reviews are much appreciated. Stay tuned!_


	6. Ch 4: The Darkest Dream

**_Disclaimer: _**_The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**__ Greetings readers. I can't tell you how difficult this chapter was to write. Action scenes are easy to watch but hard to write. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Darkest Dream**

**Destiny Islands**

On the beach of the Play Island, Kairi sat on the sand. She gazed out to the ocean while occasionally throwing a stick out to the surf. Pluto ran after the stick and once he retrieved it, he brought it back to her to throw again.

As she continued her game of fetch, Kairi soon noticed something. There was a glowing light in the sky that was falling toward the ocean. She stood up and ran to the water's edge as the light splashed down. Pluto watched with her.

A moment of silence passed. Suddenly, a figure broke through the surface of the water. Kairi gasped when she saw that familiar spiky brunette hair.

It was Sora.

_'He's back! He made it back!'_ thought Kairi as tears of joy ran down her cheeks.

"Sora!" she called.

Sora turned around and saw her. "Kairi!" he called as he fought through the water toward the beach.

Pluto barked happily as the Hero of Light approached the Princess of Heart. Once he reached the beach, Sora stopped to take a breath before he looked into Kairi's eyes and gave his trademark grin.

"I-I'm back!"

Kairi threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. "You're home!"

The two of them just stood there on the shore holding each other. They both wanted to savor this moment as much as they could.

Pulling away, Kairi gazed into Sora's eyes. The eyes that she always adored so much. "Sora, I…"

Suddenly, Sora's smile vanished. "Kairi, look out!" he cried.

Without warning, Sora whirled them around and pushed Kairi away. Though it was unintentional, she ended up falling on the beach. She barely had time to recover before she gazed up and saw a horrible sight.

Standing directly behind Sora, was a figure in a black coat like that of an Organization XIII member. It had its right arm raised with a Keyblade in its hand. With a powerful downward thrust, it slashed it against Sora's back.

Sora's body arched forward. His body started to crystallize. Soon, it burst into bits and scattered to the winds.

A horrible recreation of Xehanort's cruelest act only with a reverse of roles.

"Sora! No!" Kairi shrieked as tears of anguish streaked down her face. Once again, something, or rather someone, had torn her and Sora apart.

She gazed toward the figure in the black coat with a look of absolute rage. "Why?!" she screamed.

The figure said nothing. Instead, it pointed its Keyblade toward Kairi. With its free hand, it made a gesture as if to goad her.

"Fine! Have it your way! You'll pay for what you've done!" exclaimed Kairi as she summoned Destiny's Embrace to her hands and charged at her enemy with a cry of fury.

Once she reached the figure, she slashed her Keyblade. The figure simply blocked it with its own.

Kairi made several attempts to land a blow on the figure. But every time, she was blocked. As if to mock her efforts, the figure held its free arm behind its back.

_'It's as if it knows my every move. Maybe I can surprise it with some magic,'_ thought Kairi.

After the figure blocked one more attack, Kairi leapt backward and shouted, "Light!"

A beam of light erupted from the tip of her Keyblade and shot toward the figure. However, the figure suddenly surrounded itself in a dome of dark energy. The light reflected off of it and soared harmlessly into the sky.

Kairi waited for the dome to dissipate. She planned to attack the figure the moment it let it's defenses down.

The dome vanished. But to Kairi's shock, the figure was no longer there. She looked all around for any sign of her adversary.

Suddenly, she screamed in pain as a dark blast struck her in the shoulder. She pitched forward onto the sand.

Kairi quickly turned around to see the figure approaching her with it's Keyblade raised. She quickly lifted up her own to block it just as the figure brought down its own.

An explosion of light burst from the point of contact between the two Keyblades. Kairi shielded her eyes with her free hand.

When the light died down, Kairi unblocked her eyes and gazed in horror at her Keyblade. Or rather, what was left of it.

She was now only holding the handle. The rest of it laid scattered in pieces all around her.

She barely had any time to mourn the loss of her first Keyblade when the figure pointed its own at her. Now that her rage had been replaced by fear, she finally got a good look at her opponent's Keyblade and was shocked by both its familiarity and unfamiliarity.

It almost looked like a dark parody of her Destiny's Embrace. But it was completely black in color and instead of flowers, it was covered in thorny vines. The Paopu fruit keychain was cracked in half.

"Who are you?!" she demanded.

The figure just began to chuckle evilly. The voice sounded eerily feminine and familiar as it raised its free hand to its hood and pulled it down.

Kairi's eyes opened wide in horror. She could not believe what she was seeing.

The hair was pure silver. The eyes were a deep golden. The skin was a shade darker. The mouth wore an evil smile. But the face was her own.

She was facing what appeared to be her if Xehanort had, against all odds, turned her into one of his vessels like what he did to Terra and tried to do to Sora.

Kairi didn't know what to do. What could she do against this Dark Kairi with her Keyblade broken? She still had her magic. But without her Keyblade as a conduit, it would exhaust more of her strength than normal.

All of a sudden, the two Kairis heard wild barking. They both turned to the right and saw Pluto charging at the Dark Kairi with a determined look.

"Pluto, no!"

Pluto leapt into the air with his teeth bared. The Dark Kairi responded by raising one of her legs and launching a kick to the dog's stomach, sending him flying in the opposite direction. Pluto whimpered in pain as he landed hard on the ground.

Kairi rushed to the side of her canine companion. "Pluto, please be okay," she said as she caressed the side of his face.

Pluto opened his eyes and gave a weak smile. In spite of the dire circumstances, she smiled back.

"Don't worry, Pluto. I'll make sure that…creature pays for what she's done. Somehow."

Looking up, she saw that her dark doppelganger was gone. She looked all around for any sign of her. Then she finally caught a glimpse and it was nothing good.

The Dark Kairi was running right toward the entrance of the Secret Place!

"No! Get away from there!" she cried. But her cries fell on deaf ears as the Dark Kairi crawled in.

Leaving Pluto where he laid on the beach, Kairi took off in pursuit of her foe. She didn't know why the Dark Kairi was going into the Secret Place. But there was no way she was going to allow her to desecrate that place with her presence, especially after what she just did to Sora.

Reaching the entrance, Kairi crouched downward and entered. She tried to move in as quickly as possible.

Soon, she came to where she could stand up fully. Looking ahead, she saw the Dark Kairi standing between the paopu drawing and the door to the world's heart.

She had planted her Keyblade on the ground and was leaning on it casually. With an evil smile, she made a 'come here' gesture with her finger.

Enraged, Kairi charged forward with her fists prepped. She was looking forward to beating the tar out of this abomination who had slayed Sora in front of her. But before she could even try, the Dark Kairi pushed her hand forward with an open palm.

Suddenly, Kairi froze in place. She struggled to move but found that she could not. The Dark Kairi had hit her with some sort of paralysis spell.

With her foe immobilized, the Dark Kairi moved over to the paopu drawing. She gave an evil smirk as she pointed her Keyblade at it.

'_No! Please don't!'_ Kairi begged inwardly since the paralysis spell robbed her of the ability to speak. She tried even harder to break out of the spell's grasp to no avail.

Giving another gaze of sadistic glee, the Dark Kairi charged up a dark magic attack with her Keyblade. Once enough energy gathered, she blasted the drawing. Shards of rock burst in all directions and then all that was left of the drawing was a massive gash in the wall.

Tears dripped down Kairi's cheeks. Losing her Keyblade was bad enough. But the destruction of the drawing hurt her even worse. What had started as simple childhood drawing evolved into a testament to how much Sora and her meant to each other. Now it was gone.

But apparently, the Dark Kairi was not finished with her vile vandalism. Her attention now focused on the woodcut on the door to the world's heart.

Seeing her latest project in danger, Kairi once again struggled to break free from the spell. But it was fruitless.

Instead of using a spell this time, the Dark Kairi raised her Keyblade with both hands. With a powerful thrust, she plunged the Keyblade specifically in the spot where Kairi's and Sora's hands were intertwined.

Having seen two important tributes to her and Sora destroyed, Kairi gazed daggers at the Dark Kairi. _'When I get out of this spell, I'm going to tear you apart with my bare hands!'_ she silently threatened.

Then dark cracks began to spread throughout the door. Dark energy began to pour through before the door shattered into bits.

Before Kairi knew it, a massive Demon Tide shot out of the door and streaked toward her. It pushed her painfully through the tunnel to the outside. Once it emerged from the cave, it deposited Kairi on the beach and soared off.

Kairi, now freed from the paralysis spell, slowly got up. She was in a lot of pain. Summoning all her strength, she managed to cast a Cure spell to banish the pain as she witnessed the Demon Tide soar in and out of the Play Island, destroying everything in its path.

In addition, more dark cracks were spreading throughout the island. The ground began to collapse, revealing an immense dark void below.

'_No! Not again!'_ she thought. Then a feeling of dread came over her as she turned to where she had left Pluto. He was still laying where he was. But as the ground cracked underneath him, he soon fell into the void and vanished from view.

It wasn't long until the Islands had completely broken apart. All that was left was her standing on one of the few pieces of intact land swirling about in a cyclone of Heartless.

Then she heard an evil laugh. She turned around and saw the Dark Kairi standing on her own piece of land. She had her Keyblade pointed at her with which she unleashed a powerful dark blast that destroyed the piece of land Kairi had been standing on from under her.

"No!" screamed Kairi as she fell into the void. The Dark Kairi mockingly waved goodbye to her from her own land piece.

* * *

**?**

Hours seemed to pass as Kairi continued to fall into the void. Craning her neck, she gazed downward. But the darkness kept going on so she probably wouldn't have been able to see any bottom even if there was one.

Suddenly, her descent slowed, and she soon found herself on solid ground. But still, there was nothing but darkness all around.

"Hello?!" called Kairi. All that she heard in response was an echo.

"Can anyone hear me?" she called again.

"She was never meant to have a Keyblade," said a voice from nowhere in particular.

Kairi gasped. She recognized that voice. It was Terra's. But she never would have expected him to say something so cruel unless he was still under Xehanort's control.

Then other voices came out of the darkness: the familiar voices of her friends. And they all said the meanest words possible.

"How right that is. She just inherited it from me by accident. I would have chosen someone more worthy," said Aqua's voice.

"She was hardly worth Sora putting his heart and mine in danger just to set her heart free," said Ven's voice.

"The only good thing that came out of his first sacrifice was Naminè's and my creation. Still, what did Sora ever see in her to make such a decision?" said Roxas' voice.

"The moment someone grabs her, she just freezes up. All that training together for nothing," said Axel's voice.

"I'm ashamed that my appearance is based on the memories of someone so useless," said Xion's voice.

"Sora should have let me replace her in his memories. I wouldn't have let him down like she did," said Naminè's voice.

"She should've passed on her Princess of Heart powers to someone who would have made better use of them," said Mickey's voice.

"After all that time trying to rescue her and this is how she repays us: by getting our friend killed," said Donald's voice.

"She should have just either stayed home or found some other world to hide on and left all the fighting to the professionals," said Goofy's voice.

"We should've never befriended her. I'd still have my best friend if it weren't for her," said Riku's voice.

Then Kairi heard one more voice. It was the one she wanted so badly to hear again. But the words were nothing she ever wanted to hear him say.

"Why did I share that paopu fruit with her? She said to wanted to part of my life forever but she's the reason it ended. I don't know how I could have ever loved her," said Sora's voice.

Hearing the voice of her beloved Sora say such cruel words felt like a knife in her heart. With tears in her eyes, she sat down on the ground and clutched her knees to her chest.

_'They're all right. Even if I've done a few useful things in the past, they pale in number to how much trouble I've caused. This darkness is where I belong. No home. No family. No friends. No Sora.'_

The void was silent except for Kairi's sobs. No more voices were heard. But their awful words still resonated in Kairi's mind.

She had truly reached the deepest depths of despair.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__What a nightmare, eh? A psychologist would have a field day dissecting it. Anyway, the Dark Kairi isn't meant to be Kairi's counterpart to Vanitas. Rather, it's a manifestation of her guilt seeing how it's a hybrid between her and Xehanort, the two people she holds responsible for what happened to Sora. Also, those insults in her friends' voices are mostly what Kairi's been telling herself because we know they'd never say those kinds of things. Especially Mickey and Goofy who are too good natured to say mean things (Donald may whenever he gets angry enough). So, this is where I've finally brought Kairi to rock bottom. But, as Thaddeus Thatch from Atlantis the Lost Empire would say, "When you hit bottom, the only place left to go is up." I think I've finally tortured Kairi enough. It's time to raise her up and get her quest started. All this in the next chapter so stay tuned!_


	7. Ch 5: A Gift for the Princess

**_Disclaimer: _**_The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**__ Greetings readers. I'd like to apologize for deleting the initial posting of this story. But since I made the mishap of posting a review meant for a different story to it, it was the only way to get rid of it. So, to those who were following this story as well favoriting it, I am sorry for its abrupt disappearance. I sent out private messages to notify of this development so you can re-follow and re-favorite. Anyway, on with the show! Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Gift for the Princess**

**?**

"Child? Why do you weep?"

"Huh?" asked Kairi as she ceased crying and raised her head. She looked around for the source of the mysterious voice. But there was no sign of anything in the darkness.

"Who's there?" she asked.

Suddenly, a beam of light shone down upon her from above. She looked upward and saw a glowing portal of light hovering in the air.

Within it was the silhouette of what appeared to be a woman. But the light was so bright that Kairi couldn't make out any discernable features

"I believe I asked you a question first, my dear. Tell me, why are you so sad?" she asked in a gentle tone of concern.

Kairi hung her head down. "It's because I'm responsible for something awful."

"And what may that be?"

"My friends and I were in a great battle to save the worlds. Though we won, I was killed and someone very special to me had to trade his own life to bring me back," said Kairi.

"Sounds like you think very highly of this person. Especially if his loss is causing you such great sorrow," said the woman.

"He was one of the best friends and people I ever knew. It's not right that he helped so many and saved the worlds and doesn't even get to enjoy his victory."

"And why do you shoulder the blame for what happened to him? Truly, there must be someone more responsible than you."

Kairi's eyes narrowed in anger. "Oh, there is. The man who set all this pain and suffering in motion: Xehanort. He hurt so many people including many of my friends. He's the one who killed me and left me with this horrible scar on my back. Now I can never forget him or everything he took from me."

Kairi's eyes then turned sorrowful. "But still, he wouldn't have been able to get what he wanted if I had been stronger. I trained as hard as I could and in the end, Sora still had to save me. This time, at the highest cost ever."

She gazed downward again. "All I ever wanted was to be part of his life for all time. There was so much I wanted to tell him. That I wanted to do with him. And now thanks to my uselessness, I'll never get that chance. 'And the Princess of Heart lived unhappily ever after.' Some ending to our story."

"Now child, don't speak so harshly about yourself. And who's to say that your story is over now? Perhaps it is merely the beginning of a whole new chapter for the both of you. I have a gift for you that may be just what you need to get started on it."

"Huh?" asked Kairi.

"Hold out your hand, my dear," said the woman.

Kairi said nothing but did as she was told and held out her right hand. As she watched, the woman extended her hand toward her. White light gathered in the palm of her hand and formed into a ball. The ball of light then floated from the woman's hand until it stopped just above Kairi's outstretched hand. The ball then shone brighter and brighter causing Kairi to cover her eyes.

When the light died down, Kairi felt something had entered her hand. She uncovered her eyes and her jaw dropped in surprise.

Sitting in her palm was what appeared to be a star made out of white crystal. It was slightly bigger than her palm, but not overly large that Kairi couldn't wrap her fingers around it. A gold chain was looped through one of the points indicating that it could be worn like a necklace or medallion. In the center of the star was a carved image of a flower with four petals and within the center of the flower was the shape of a heart.

"What is this?" asked Kairi.

"A very special talisman," replied the woman.

"It looks like a Wayfinder like my lucky charm that I gave to Sora or what Terra, Aqua and Ven had," said Kairi.

"I guess you could call it that then."

"What does it do?"

"It has the power to traverse the worlds and guide you to where you need to be."

"Where I need to be?" muttered Kairi before she let out a gasp. "You mean it'll take me to Sora?"

"Perhaps it will. But whether or not he is able to be saved will all depend on you," said the woman.

"What's that supposed to mean? Is there something I need to do? Because if there is, I'll do it! Just tell me!" demanded Kairi.

"You will have to forgive my vagueness, Kairi. I do wish I could tell you everything. But I can only get you started on this journey. There are some things you just have to discover and do for yourself. But trust me when I say that I have nothing but your best interests at heart and a sincere desire for you to be happy again," said the woman.

Kairi was still a little skeptical. She wished this mysterious benefactor would be clearer. But still, there was something about this woman that made her want to trust her, so she calmed down.

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess vague help is better than no help at all especially after seven months with no leads on how to help him. So how do I use this Wayfinder?" asked Kairi.

"That I can tell you and it is actually quite simple to use. All you need to do is hold it to your heart and will it to take you where you need to be. And after you've done what you need to do in the world that it takes you to, it will glow and that's when you'll know it's time to move onto the next world," said the woman.

"That simple, huh?"

"Just keep in mind that wherever you go, you're there for a reason even if it's not apparent. But I must warn you, Kairi. Once you start on the path that the Wayfinder guides you on, there will be no turning back. And though the various threats to the worlds such as the Heartless, the Nobodies and the Unversed have vanished for now since the defeat of Xehanort, that does not mean that there won't be any danger. There are still many evildoers and villains that you may encounter. So, ask yourself this, Kairi, are you prepared to take that risk?" asked the woman.

Kairi didn't have to think twice. "I may not fully understand what you're trying to do. But if there's even a slim chance that this Wayfinder will lead me to Sora, then I'll take it. He risked everything to save so many including me. It's time someone did the same for him."

"You are a very determined young lady, Kairi. That will serve you well on your journey. Now one final piece of advice. Throughout your travels, heed these words: follow in the footsteps of your special one and a broken heart may be healed. I wish you the best of luck," said the woman.

Suddenly, the light from the woman's portal began to glow brighter until the whole void was immersed in bright light. Kairi could no longer see any sign of the woman. But looking ahead, she saw a most welcome sight.

Standing with his back to her, was Sora. Slowly, he turned around and gave her the smile that she often believed that would reach any heart.

As the light increased, Sora began to fade from view. But before he vanished completely, his mouth moved as if speaking though no sound came out. But Kairi could read his lips and knew exactly what his message was. It warmed her heart to no end.

"See you soon."

* * *

**Destiny Islands**

Back in her bed, Kairi awoke. As she sat up, Pluto awoke as well and crawled up to her with a look of concern on his face.

Kairi let out a deep sigh. "That definitely was the worst dream yet, Pluto. It's bad enough that it started with such awful things. But then it torments me further by pretending to give me something that can guide me to Sora. I really must be going crazy," said Kairi as she rubbed her temple.

Suddenly, her other hand brushed up against something under the bedcovers. Upon noticing, Kairi pulled them back and her eyes shot wide open as did Pluto's.

There, sitting on her bed, was the Wayfinder from her dream!

Kairi couldn't believe her eyes. "I-It's here! It's real!"

'_If it's really here when I'm awake, does that mean that it really will lead me to Sora?'_

Cautiously, she reached for it. Now that she knew it really existed, she was a little more hesitant. For all she knew, it could be some kind of trap.

Finally, her fingers touched the center of the Wayfinder. A warm feeling suddenly surged through her. It felt shocking but at the same time, it almost felt reassuring.

It was as if the Wayfinder was bringing back something that she thought she was losing: her hope.

Kairi picked up the Wayfinder by its chain and gazed at it. Pluto gazed at it too with a puzzled look.

"This is it, Pluto. This is what I've been waiting for. This is what's going to help me get Sora back!"

Pluto still looked confused. He didn't know what Kairi was talking about. But that trinket she was holding definitely hadn't been in the room when they had gone to bed.

Kairi immediately leapt up from her bed and started pacing around her room. "Oh, there's so much I need to do, I don't know where to start. I've got to get dressed. I've got to pack. Oh wait. That's already done. I've had my knapsack packed for months. I've got to leave a note for Mom and Dad. I've got to call Riku and…"

Kairi stopped herself. In all her excitement over the Wayfinder, she had completely forgotten two things: that she had left her Gummi Phone in the Secret Place and that she wasn't currently on speaking terms with Riku.

Kairi brought the Wayfinder up to her eyelevel. _'Should I go tell him and the others about this?'_

Then Kairi remembered how Riku and the others reacted when she told them she felt Sora a month ago. A bitter feeling came over her.

'_And tell them what? That you were given this talisman that'll lead you to Sora by a mysterious woman in a dream? They'll think that you're losing it, Kairi. They didn't believe you before, so they certainly won't believe you now.'_

Kairi walked over to her window. Looking through it, she saw the dawn beginning to break over the horizon where the sky and sea met.

'_Looks like I'm on my own for this journey. And that's probably the way it should be. Sora's where he is because of me so it's my responsibility and mine alone to bring him home. And when I do, Riku and everyone else will finally realize they made a mistake and apologize for giving up. That's right. When I get Sora back, everything will be okay again'_

Her mind now made up; Kairi immediately began her preparations.

* * *

Much later, now fully dressed with a knapsack full of shrunken supplies on her back and the Wayfinder hanging from her neck, Kairi opened up her window. Turning around, she looked at her bedroom door knowing that her parents, who were still asleep, would open that door in the morning and find her gone. She then turned to her bed upon where a folded piece of paper had been left on top of her pillow. A pang of regret shot through her.

_'I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I hate to run away like this. But I can't let anyone stop me. Hopefully, my note will provide a good enough explanation. I'll be back soon. I hope.'_

She then climbed up on the window ledge and looked to the ground. Most people would have been afraid to jump from a second story window. But not her. She had jumped greater distances such as the giant leap she took in the Castle that Never Was when Sora was being attacked by the Organization's Heartless. Compared to that, this was nothing.

With a deep breath, she leapt out and dropped to the backyard below. She landed easily on her feet. Turning around and looking up at the window, she called up in a whisper, "Okay Pluto! Your turn! Come on down!"

In response to her call, the dog leapt out of her window. Like her, he landed on his feet.

"Nice landing, Pluto. You must be part cat."

Pluto suddenly gave a look of offense. Clearly being compared to a feline didn't sit to well with him.

"Easy, boy. I meant no offense," said Kairi as she held up her hands in defense.

Then she knelt down so she could look Pluto in the eye. "Pluto, you've been a great friend and a great comfort to me this last month. So, this isn't going to be easy for you to hear."

In response, Pluto gave her a questioning look. What was she about to say to him?

"Since I'm going off to find Sora, I think it's time for you to go home. So, I want you to go to Riku and he'll make sure you get home to Disney Castle."

Kairi then gave Pluto an affectionate pat on the head. "I really loved having you stay with me this past month. I'm really going to miss you."

With that, Kairi rose up and walked toward the gate that would take her out of the backyard. She opened it up and headed for the sidewalk.

But as she walked down the sidewalk, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Pluto following her.

"Pluto, this isn't the way to Riku's house," she said.

In response, Pluto just continued to walk until he reached her side. Stopping, he looked up at her and gave her a smile.

"I can't take you with me, Pluto. It could be very dangerous."

The dog just walked in front of her, turned around and sat down. His eyes contained a glimmer of determination.

_'Seems he really wants to come with me. But I don't want to put him in danger. Sure, Sora had Donald and Goofy with him on his adventures and Riku had Mickey with him. But they all had skills and powers to protect themselves while Pluto has none.'_

But then Kairi recalled, from what she had heard, that for the duration of the past adventures, Pluto had been off on his own doing something that was still unknown to them. And he had shown up in the nick of time to protect her from Axel when he had tried to kidnap her.

'_Maybe he'll be able to handle himself just fine on the journey. Plus, it would be nice to have some company.'_

Then Pluto gave one of the classic puppy-dog eyes looks to her. She had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter.

'_Oh, how can I say no to that face?'_

Kairi smiled and scratched Pluto on the head. "Pluto, you are definitely the best dog in all the worlds. All right. You can come along."

Pluto barked happily and started licking Kairi's cheek. Kairi giggled for a moment before shushing him.

"Keep it down, Pluto. We don't want to wake anyone up especially my parents. Now let's get going. There's something I need to do before we leave the Islands."

With that, the two of them continued onward. Kairi didn't know what truly laid on the journey ahead. But with the Wayfinder in hand and Pluto by her side, she would explore any world, face any obstacle and fight any enemy that stood in her way.

Nothing would stop her in her efforts to reunite with the most special person in her heart.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**__ Our girl is on her way. As for her mysterious benefactor, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out her identity. But feel free to guess though I will not confirm nor deny. But should you guess right, you're pretty sharp. Next chapter will be the official departure from the Destiny Islands with the first use of the Wayfinder as well that something she needs to do before she goes which will be a recurring element that will happen upon each departure. Reviews are much appreciated! And again, sorry about the deletion. Stay tuned!_


	8. Ch 6: KLOD 1: Destiny Islands

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**_ _Greetings readers. Happy New Year to all of you. This will be my final post of the year. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Kairi's Letter of Departure #1: Destiny Islands**

**Destiny Islands**

_Dear Sora,_

_ I have the most wonderful news! After seven months of trying to find a way to bring you back, I believe I've finally found it. And would you believe it came to me in a dream?_

_ After having the worst nightmare of all time, I was visited in my dream by a mysterious woman who gave me this strange talisman that looks like a Wayfinder. She told me it would guide me to where I needed to be. And where I need to be is with you._

_ She did imply that there was something I needed to do first to help you although she didn't tell me exactly what it was. But I'll do anything to bring you home._

_ I wish she had been clearer in her instructions. Mostly, I wish I knew who she really was. But in spite of that, there was something about her that made me believe she could be trusted._

_ You probably would have done the same thing if she offered to help you. You always were the best judge of character knowing who was truly good, even when they were being manipulated into doing the wrong thing._

_ Anyway, with this Wayfinder in my possession, I know I'll find you._

_ That's the good news. Unfortunately, I also have some bad news to tell you._

_ One month ago, the others decided to suspend the search for you. They might as well have said they were giving up completely. Even Riku, Donald and Goofy went along with it and they were the ones I always thought would never stop searching for you. I haven't spoken to any of them since._

_ I don't know. Maybe I'm being too harsh on them. But I just can't believe after everything you've done for them; they'd do something like this._

_ So, I'm the only one coming for you. Aside from Pluto, who has been staying with me this past month and has offered to come along with me. _

_This is probably how it was meant to be. You're only where you are because of my uselessness during the Keyblade War. It's only fitting that I should be the one to bring you home. And when I do, the others will surely see that they were wrong and apologize. Then everything will be as it should._

_ Hang in there, Sora. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we're together again and I can see that wonderful smile of yours that always touches my heart. And when we come home together, I have something special to show you._

_See you soon,_

_Kairi_

* * *

**(Mood Music: Candle on the Water by Helen Reddy from Pete's Dragon)**

Sitting on the beach of the Play Island, with the last stroke of her pen, Kairi finished her letter. After reading it over once, she found it to her satisfaction, so she prepared to send it off.

Setting the letter aside and reaching into her knapsack, she pulled out a bottle. This was no ordinary bottle, however. It had been magically enchanted by Donald to be unbreakable with its label waterproof. It also had a very special feature so she would always have one on hand.

"Copy!" she declared.

The bottle glowed for a brief moment and in an instant, an exact duplicate appeared in her other hand. After placing one of them back in her knapsack, she uncorked the one she kept, rolled up the letter and stuffed it inside.

After writing Sora's name on the label, she walked up to the shore. Kneeling down, she dropped the bottle into the water and it slowly drifted away toward the horizon. As she watched it leave, she recalled the first time she sent a letter in a bottle to Sora.

_'I could barely recall Sora's name then, so the letter was unsigned. And against all odds, it found him in the Realm of Darkness. Even more amazing, him just reading it opened the Door to Light and brought him and Riku home. It was a miracle.'_

Kairi grabbed onto the Wayfinder and looked at it in her hand. _"I know I was hoping for the same miracle to happen. But if this leads me to Sora, then I'll gladly take a different one. But even if my letters can't bring him home, I can at least let him know that I'm on my way to him. That is, if they're even getting to him.'_

Then a sudden thought ran through her head. _'I wonder if, this time, I should have signed it, 'Love, Kairi'.'_

Ever since she started sending her letters out, Kairi had entertained the notion of signing them that way. But then she remembered exactly why she hadn't done so.

_'No. The first time he hears that word from me, it will be with my voice and not from my pen.'_

She then turned to the left and gazed up to where the paopu tree was. She recalled the moment that they shared their paopu fruits and bound their destinies together. Even if what followed was nothing but tragedy, it was still a memory she would treasure forever.

Still, there was a couple of things that could have made that moment even better.

_'That probably would have been the right moment for us to tell each other just how much we cared for each other. Maybe we could have even had our first kiss. It was a great moment for it so why didn't we go there? Especially if it could've been the last truly good moment we'd ever share,'_ Kairi pondered.

She let out a sigh. _'Then again, maybe it wasn't the best time for all that especially with the battle with Xehanort the next day. And even if we had, it probably wouldn't have made what happened after any less painful.'_

She heard a whimper and looked to her side. Pluto had nuzzled up to her. In response, she gave him a pat on the head.

_'Well, there's no use dwelling on what we didn't do. It's time to focus on what needs to be done now.'_

With a gesture of her hand, Destiny's Embrace appeared in it. It was the first time she had summoned her Keyblade since that day at the Land of Departure. She had feared that when she had tossed it at Riku's feet, the Keyblade would have renounced her as its wielder. Thankfully, she was wrong.

"Pluto, you're my witness to this."

Pluto gave a confused whimper as he watched Kairi plant her Keyblade teeth first into the sand. Gripping the handle with both of her hands, she knelt down and faced out toward the horizon.

"I, Kairi, Princess of Heart and Wielder of the Keyblade, make this oath to myself. I promise that the next time I set foot on this island or even in this world, Sora will be with me. I will not return until I find him and bring him home. And when I do, I promise that I will let him know the full depths of my feelings for him. I will keep this oath with my entire body, soul and heart."

Pluto let out a bark. Kairi laughed.

"Glad you approve."

Raising to her feet, Kairi took in one last look at her surroundings. She didn't know how long it would be before she would see the Destiny Islands again. But when she returned with Sora, they would once again feel like home.

_'Okay. It's time,'_ she thought as she took the Wayfinder into her hand

"Pluto, better get close to me. I don't know what's going to happen when I use this thing."

Pluto nodded and positioned himself alongside Kairi on the right side. Using his unusually prehensile tail, he wrapped it around her right ankle. He let out a bark to let her know that she could proceed.

With a nod of approval to the dog, Kairi then followed her mysterious benefactor's instructions. Holding the Wayfinder to her chest and thereby her heart, she closed her eyes and focused her will on it.

_'Take me to where I need to be.'_

A few moments passed, until Pluto started to bark. Kairi opened her eyes and looked downward. She gasped.

A pool of ethereal light was spreading outward from beneath her feet. It continued to grow until it formed a circle around the girl and the dog. Suddenly, the edges erupted skyward causing them to be surrounded in a vertical tunnel of light.

Then an odd sensation came over the two. Even though it still felt like they were still standing on solid ground, Kairi and Pluto felt as if they were rising into the sky.

Looking up, Kairi saw the countless stars that dotted the sky. She was a little nervous as she continued to clutch the Wayfinder to her heart. But she banished the nerves away by remembering what this was all for.

Her epic journey, her quest for Sora, had truly begun.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**_ _Ladies and gentlemen, Kairi and Pluto have left the Islands! It took me a while to come up with how the Wayfinder works when it's used such as creating a portal to the next world. But ultimately, I went with an effect like the Bifrost from the Thor movies. As for the Mood Music of this chapter, whenever I heard the song, I would actually think of Kairi and how he's always been Sora's own candle on the water. Anyway, upon departure from every world on the journey, you're going to see a letter to Sora containing Kairi's reflections on what she's experienced and who she's met. It'll be this story's version of Jiminy's Journal or Roxas' Diary. Anyway, next chapter is the first interlude which means we'll be focusing on a different character or group of characters which will happen in between worlds. Then, when we come back to Kairi and Pluto, it'll be the first Disney world they visit. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	9. Ch 7: An Old Enemy Gets Involved

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**_ _Greetings readers. Bet you weren't expecting to hear from me again so soon! I actually had this chapter mostly done awhile ago. Just needed to finish and edit it. So here is the first interlude chapter in which things are about to become more difficult for Kairi. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 7: An Old Enemy Gets Involved**

**Destiny Islands**

After Kairi's departure, the Play Island was silent. There was no trace that she and Pluto had even been there save for a few footprints in the sand that would eventually be blown away by the wind.

But their departure had not gone unseen.

Perched high in one of the palm trees was a black feathered raven. It was an unusual sight since ravens were not indigenous to the Destiny Islands. But this was no mere raven.

It was Diablo, faithful servant to the Mistress of All Evil herself.

From his perch, he stared down intently at the spot where Kairi and Pluto had vanished from. Then with a flap of his wings, he took off into the air and soared over the sea.

He had news for his mistress.

* * *

**Enchanted Dominion**

In her castle on the Forbidden Mountain, Maleficent sat on her throne deep in thought. Her mind was trying to formulate a plan to acquire the Black Box from Xehanort's former second-in-command and his companions in animal masks.

_'There must be a way to steal that Box. These Keyblade Wielders must have some kind of weakness I can exploit. My ambitions of conquest depend on it,'_ she thought.

Suddenly, a loud caw was heard and Maleficent snapped out of her thoughts. She looked upward to see Diablo fly in from a window. He flew directly toward her and landed on the ball of her staff.

"Ah, my faithful pet. You have been away for quite some time. What news have you brought me?" she asked as she stroked Diablo's feathers.

The raven began to caw. Maleficent listened closely for she could understand her pet as if he spoke actual words.

After Diablo finished his wordless tale, Maleficent's brow furrowed in concern. "Are you certain?" she asked to which Diablo let out a caw of affirmation.

"Then we must take action immediately. Pete!" she called out as she rose up from her throne.

Almost immediately, the roly-poly cat came running. He huffed and puffed as he stopped in front of her.

"You called, Maleficent? Did you finally find a way to get that Box from those animal-masked bozos? Boy, it's hard to believe that old man Xehanort's own right-hand man was pulling his strings the whole time. The only thing that would be more surprisin' is if I were plottin' behind your back. Wouldn't that be somethin'?" he asked with a chuckle.

But seeing that Maleficent was in no mood for jokes, Pete immediately changed his tune. "Not that I would actually do such a thing. I mean, after all we've been through together, I wouldn't dream of stabbin' ya in the back like that."

Then he noticed Diablo. "Hey, your flyin' feather duster's come back. Where's he been all this time?"

Diablo cawed angrily in response to the insult while Maleficent scolded, "Kindly refrain from insulting Diablo, Pete. He has been away doing important surveillance for me."

"Really? What might that be?" asked Pete

"He has been on the Destiny Islands keeping an eye on the Princess of Heart who lives there: Kairi."

"What? Her? Oh, come on! She's hardly worth the trouble. I mean, she went down pretty easy during all that fuss at the Keyblade Graveyard. Why even bother with her?"

"Because I learned that after the Heartless incarnation of Xehanort, the one who called himself Ansem, used the powers of the Princesses of Heart, the powers were passed onto other worthy maidens. All except Kairi who has held onto her power even after her temporary demise. There must be a reason for it and that is why I saw fit to have Diablo watch over her."

"Well, I guess that's a good enough reason. So why is he here now instead of watchin' her?" asked Pete.

"According to Diablo, Kairi has left her home world with the aid of a magical talisman. Apparently, she believes that it is the key to bringing Sora back," stated Maleficent.

Pete suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter. "Oh boy! Talk about chasin' your wild geese! What is that girl thinkin'? Her boyfriend's six feet under and gettin' fitted for a halo! There ain't no way he's comin' back!"

But then Pete noticed that Maleficent wasn't laughing along with him. In fact, she looked very serious.

"Maleficent? He can't come back, can he?" he asked.

"I cannot say for certain. But I do know that it is possible to revive the dead seeing as how I've done it myself before with Oogie Boogie," said Maleficent.

"Oh, that's right. But wasn't he not right in the head after you brought him back?"

"Aside from that, it was an almost perfect revival. And he wasn't the only one. Through some unknown means, Ursula returned from the dead to carry out her plans against Atlantica."

"And weren't you dead for a time after those pipsqueaks destroyed you?" asked Pete.

Maleficent glared daggers at her cohort. Pete cowered.

"Sorry about that. That's probably not something you prefer to be reminded of."

"What happened to me after that was…complicated. But my point remains that it is possible to come back from the dead. I also happen to know that miracles tend to happen for that boy especially when that girl is involved. Did you know that she was able to restore him when he was turned into a Heartless?" asked Maleficent.

"Really? Huh. Who'd a thunk she could do that?"

"Yes. If anyone could pull off such a feat and bring Sora back from the dead, it would be Kairi. And that is why we must, for the time being, put our plans for the Box aside and focus our efforts on stopping her."

Pete was surprised. "B-but Maleficent, how are we going to do that? We don't even know where she's going."

"That is no cause for concern at all, Pete. Diablo can find her," said Maleficent as she walked toward a doorway leading to an outside balcony.

"Him? How can he do that?" asked Pete as he followed her.

"When I learned about Kairi's retainment of her Princess of Heart status, I went to the Destiny Islands in secret and placed a spell on her," said the evil fairy.

"You did? Hmm. Guess old habits die hard, huh?" asked Pete.

"The spell I placed on Kairi is nothing like the curse I placed on Princess Aurora in the past. It was small enough so it would go unnoticed. All it does is enable Diablo to find her no matter what world she goes to."

Maleficent stepped out onto the balcony and gazed outward. From the distance, she could make out the castle where Princess Aurora, Prince Philip and their family were living their happily ever after.

As often as that sight disgusted Maleficent, she set it aside. She turned her attention to Diablo.

"Now, my pet, it is time for you to continue to watch over that girl. Find her and then report back to me on what world she is on. If we can discern a pattern to her travels, then we can prepare to act against her. Do you understand?"

Diablo responded with a bow. Maleficent smiled wickedly.

"Now go with a curse and serve me well."

Diablo left his perch on Maleficent's staff. The evil fairy watched as her faithful pet flew away while Pete came up to her side.

"If you don't mind my askin', Maleficent, why do we even need to bother with stoppin' that Princess? Won't nothin' be able to stop us once we have that Box?"

Maleficent clutched her staff tightly. "Let me remind you, Pete, that Xehanort succeeded in acquiring the χ-blade and the power of Kingdom Hearts. He too, thought he was unstoppable. And yet, in the end, he still was defeated by the meddling boy and his companions. I will not make that same mistake and risk having my success ruined the same way!" she roared.

Pete was so startled by Maleficent's outburst that he stumbled backward. He landed hard on his rear.

"Well, when you put it that way, then by all means we'll stop her. We'll hit her with everything we got!" exclaimed Pete as he picked himself up.

Maleficent continued to look out from the balcony as the thought of the possibility of Kairi causing Sora's return plagued her mind. It caused her rage to grow immensely.

'_You should never have left your home, Kairi. If you think that I would allow you to bring your precious Sora back from the dead, you are sorely mistaken. I will do all in my power to stop you and in the end, he will have sacrificed himself for nothing.'_

With the threat of Maleficent on the horizon, the quest was about to become even more dangerous for Kairi.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__So, after a few games of pretty much being on the sidelines (much like Kairi herself), Maleficent takes on the main antagonist role for this fic. Wish I knew what was in that Black Box. For all we know, it could be Infinity Gauntlet level power much like the __χ-blade. I'd like to point out that Xigbar or Luxu (whatever he's calling himself), the Foretellers and the Black Box won't be involved in this story because I don't know exactly what to do with them. Union Cross is a hard game to understand. Next chapter is Kairi and Pluto in the first Disney world of the quest! Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	10. Ch 8: Rough Start

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! Here's the first Disney world I've sent Kairi and Pluto too. And let me tell you, it's not going to be fun and games for her. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Rough Start**

**?**

It wasn't too long after Kairi and Pluto left the Destiny Islands that the lifting sensation stopped, and the walls of light came down. Looking around, they saw that they definitely weren't where they started.

Kairi felt a little disoriented from the trip as her legs wobbled. "Whoa! What a ride! Really wish that woman who gave me the Wayfinder would've told me exactly what going to another world would be like."

Pluto barked in agreement. He too was trying to get his balance back.

After regaining her composure, Kairi did the first thing any adventurer would do: assess the surroundings. Looking around, they were apparently were in the middle of a lush, green jungle. Various animal noises were heard all around.

Though Kairi hadn't been to as many worlds as Sora, Riku and the others, she did recall the details of the ones that Sora had been to on his first adventure since she had been along for the ride within his heart. And from what she remembered, Sora, Donald and Goofy had visited a place like this in the past.

_"Could this be Tarzan's jungle? It definitely feels like it. But then again, that world is unlikely to be the only jungle in the whole universe.'_

Kairi also noted that she and Pluto hadn't changed into different forms. So, that meant that humans and dogs weren't going to be an unusual sight in this world.

_'Although I probably will never understand why some didn't find Donald and Goofy's appearances unusual in the worlds they visited. You'd think to protect the world order, they would turn human in some worlds.'_

Then Kairi saw what appeared to be sky a short distance away through the trees. That meant there was a break in the jungle just up ahead.

"Let's go over there, Pluto. Maybe we can get a better idea of where we are. But let's be careful. The Heartless and Nobodies may not have been seen since the Keyblade War. But we can't assume they won't show up. Also, if this place is the Deep Jungle or something similar to it, then there's likely to be predators around so be on your guard," said Kairi as she summoned her Keyblade.

Together, the two of them headed in the direction of the break. As they walked, Kairi kept her eyes and ears open for any sign of trouble. Pluto did too, as well as using his nose hopefully to pick up any scent of a possible foe.

When they finally made it out of the jungle, they emerged onto a beach. Kairi's jaw dropped as she beheld an amazing sight.

In front of her was a lagoon. And all around the lagoon in various places were mermaids.

The mermaids were all doing various activities. Some were just laying around. Others were fixing their hair and admiring themselves in the reflection of the water. One was even playing on a flute made out of a seashell. They were all engrossed in doing their own things that none of them had even noticed Kairi and Pluto.

_'Mermaids? Could this be Ariel's world? That world seemed to be completely underwater, but Sora told me that there was a part of that world that was not.'_

"Maybe these mermaids can help us, Pluto. You stay here on the beach," said Kairi as she dismissed her Keyblade and began to hop across some stones to get closer to where the mermaids where.

"Hello there!" she called out causing the mermaids to turn toward her. They let out a gasp of surprise.

"Who's she?" asked one with blonde hair.

"Where did she come from?" asked another with black hair and a hat made out of a lily pad.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your activities. My name's Kairi and I was wondering if you could help me."

The mermaids dove into the water and swam toward Kairi. Soon, all of them surrounded the rock that she was on.

"We can help you. But first you simply must join us for a swim," said a redheaded mermaid.

"Oh, thanks for the offer. But I really don't have the time. You see, I have something important to do. Also, I'm not exactly dressed for swimming," said Kairi.

"Oh. don't let that stop you and whatever you have to do can wait. Come on in!" said one of the mermaids as she leapt out and grabbed onto Kairi's skirt.

"Hey! Stop that!" shouted Kairi as she swatted the mermaid's hand away just as another one grabbed onto her ankle. "Let go of me!"

Suddenly, from behind her, a burst of water splashed Kairi. She turned around to confront the offending mermaid only for another splash of water to come from another behind her.

"Cut that out!" she shrieked.

The melee continued as the mermaids alternated between trying to pull Kairi into the water and splashing her while the Princess resisted. From his spot on the beach, all Pluto could do was bark angrily at the mermaids.

Finally, after she was positively drenched, Kairi had enough. She summoned Destiny's Embrace, pointed it to the sky and shouted, "Fire!"

A burst of flame burst from the tip of her Keyblade and shot skyward. The display of power finally got the mermaids to cease their attack and stare at her in shock.

"Now listen, all of you, I am not in the mood for this so back off!" she yelled.

The mermaids' shock wore off and was replaced by looks of annoyance. They immediately swam back to where they had originally been.

"What's the matter with her?"

"After all, we were only trying to drown her."

_'Drown me? What's the matter with these girls?'_ thought Kairi.

"She's just as unpleasant as that Wendy girl."

"You would think Peter would bring someone to Never Land who actually likes to have fun."

The last mermaid's comment struck Kairi with a sudden realization. "Wait! Peter? As in, Peter Pan?" she asked.

The mermaids turned back to her and said rather snidely, "Why yes. Wasn't he the one who brought you here?"

_'I'd better play along. Got to protect the world order as Donald would probably tell me if he was here. Also, maybe they can tell me where to find Peter Pan.'_

"Uh yes. He did bring me here. But we got separated so do you have any idea where I can find him?" asked Kairi.

"Oh, he could be anywhere. He could be treasure hunting with the Lost Boys or fighting with Hook," said one of the mermaids.

"If you wish to find him, your best bet is to just wander around Never Land and hope he finds you," said another one.

"Now, if you don't mind, we have some important grooming and sunning to get back to so be on your way," said a third one.

With that, the mermaids just went back to their previous business and paid no more attention to Kairi which was perfectly fine with her. She'd had enough of dealing with them.

Hopping across the stones, she made it back to the beach. Pluto ran up to her and barked in concern.

"I'm alright, Pluto. A little water never hurt anyone. But as unhelpful as those mermaids were, we now know where we are and that there's one of Sora's friends in this world. So, do you think you could sniff out anything that may smell like a young boy? Because that could lead us to Peter Pan," she said to the dog.

Pluto nodded and began to sniff the air. After a few moments, his eyes lit up. He let out a bark.

"You got something?" Pluto barked again. "Good boy! Lead the way!"

Pluto walked along the beach while still sniffing the air. Kairi followed behind him. But before she left the lagoon, which she was only too happy to do so, she turned in the direction of the mermaids and stuck out her tongue out at them.

The mermaids gasped. "Well, I never!"

* * *

A short while later, Kairi and Pluto were still walking along the beach. Pluto continued to follow the scent while Kairi used an Aero spell to dry herself off.

_'Next time I see Jiminy, I have something for him to add to his journal: there are mermaids in Never Land and they are nothing like the merpeople of Atlantica.' _

Then she heard Pluto bark. She looked in his direction and saw that he was pointing his nose toward a series of stones leading across the water toward a large rock that was shaped like a skull.

"Is that where the scent is coming from, Pluto?" she asked. Pluto barked in the affirmative.

Kairi was a little hesitant. The rock didn't look like the most inviting place and she had no idea what could be in there. Still, if Pluto believed that's where the scent was leading them, then she had to trust him.

The two of them began to leap across the stones toward the rock. Soon enough, they arrived, and Kairi immediately noticed an entrance. Picking up the scent again, Pluto took the lead and Kairi followed.

Fortunately, it wasn't too dark within the rock, so Kairi didn't need to cast a Fire or Light spell to illuminate the area. But Kairi kept on her guard just in case they would encounter something dangerous.-

Finally, they entered into a large open area within the rock. And what was in the centre of it made Kairi's eyes open wide.

"A treasure chest!" she exclaimed.

Pluto walked over to it and sniffed it. He turned to Kairi and barked.

"You mean, this is what you were tracking?" asked Kairi. Pluto nodded. "Oh. I was hoping we'd find Peter Pan."

Then she started debating onto whether or not to look inside. She knew it didn't belong to her. But, at the same time, all she wanted was to look and she wasn't going to take anything from it.

Kairi then approached the chest and gripped the lid. It wasn't locked so she was able to open it. But what she saw inside was quite surprising.

It was not filled with gold or jewels like one would expect. Instead, the chest was filled with various weapons such as wooden swords, clubs, slingshots, tomahawks, and bows and arrows.

_'Reminds me of the various objects Sora, Riku and I would hunt for around the Islands whenever we played pirates,'_ thought Kairi as a small smile came to her face briefly before becoming sad. _'What I would give to have those days back again.'_

Kairi was about to close the chest and move on when she spotted something inside. Pulling it out, she found herself holding what would have been the last thing she expected to see in Never Land.

It was a Keyblade. Not a regular one though since it was made out of wood. It was also broken in two. But put together, there was no doubt the shape was that of a Keyblade.

But what was more shocking was the name carved into the handle: Terra.

_'Terra's been here? He must have. There's no other way this Keyblade could've come here,'_ pondered Kairi as she wondered what kind of story the wooden Keyblade held.

"Hey! That's our treasure!"

Kairi jumped up in surprise and turned around. She and Pluto were no longer alone.

Standing before them was a group of six young boys. All of them were dressed in various animal suits and were all armed with weapons similar to those in the chest.

"You've got a lot of nerve trying to steal from us!" shouted the tallest boy who was dressed as a fox.

"No! I wasn't stealing anything! I just came across the chest and was just looking at was inside. I wasn't going to take anything," said Kairi.

"A likely story!" said two boys dressed as raccoons and who appeared to be twins.

"You're nothing but a no-good pirate!" exclaimed another in a rabbit suit.

"But she's a girl. I never hearded of a girl pirate before," said a chubby boy in a bear suit.

The one in the fox suit suddenly bopped the one in the bear suit on the head. "Of course she's a pirate! We caught her red-handed trying to steal Ven's keepsake out of the chest!"

The mention of Ven's name caught Kairi by surprise. _'Ven? He's been here too, and he's met these boys?'_

"Listen! You said this belonged to Ven. Well, I know him!" shouted Kairi.

"Don't try to fool us. We know all pirates are lairs," said the one in the rabbit suit.

"Look. I'll just put this back and then I'll leave. There's no need to fight at all," said Kairi as she turned around to put the halves of the wooden Keyblade back in the chest.

But just as she put it back, a sudden pain hit her in the back of her head. "Ow!" she exclaimed as she turned around again to face the boys.

The culprit appeared to be the youngest of the boys who was dressed in a skunk suit and hadn't said a word since the confrontation began. He was holding a slingshot that he apparently just fired.

"That wasn't very nice!" she shouted causing the boy to hold the slingshot behind his back and pretend to be innocent.

"Boys, I don't want any trouble," said Kairi.

"Well, you sure founded it," said the boy in the bear suit.

"I think we've talked enough! Let's get her!" said the one in the fox suit as all of them charged toward Kairi.

Seeing no other choice, Kairi summoned her Keyblade while Pluto positioned himself in front of her with his teeth bared and letting out some vicious growls. They had no intention of harming their young adversaries. But they had to defend themselves in some way.

_'First the mermaids and now these boys. Is there no one in Never Land that can be reasoned with? My adventure certainly isn't off to a good start.'_

* * *

**_Notes from the Mad Doctor: _**_Bet you weren't expecting Never Land, were you? There's a reason I chose this to be Kairi's first stop on the journey. Next chapter, the Boy Who Won't Grow Up will make his first appearance in this as will Disney's most famous fairy. How will they react to Kairi? You'll just have to wait and see. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	11. Ch 9: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! Sorry, it took so long to update. I've been sick lately and I've also been trying to get my head around Re: Mind. I won't go into specific details just in case any reader hasn't played it yet at least until a month has passed. But I would like to reiterate that this story isn't going to take anything from Re: Mind into account because I had this story planned before it was even announced. I hope it's exclusion doesn't put any of you off following this story. But that's the way the ball bounces when it comes to fanfiction: it's non-canon no matter what you do. Now let's get back to Kairi in Never Land. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up**

**Never Land**

Up in the Never Land sky, there was a small ball of glowing light flying through. Upon a closer look however, it would be revealed that it was a small woman with blonde hair, a green dress and wings. It was Tinker Bell, the most famous fairy in all of Never Land.

Things had been pretty quiet in Never Land lately and the usually tightknit group of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, and the Lost Boys had been off doing their own things. Tink had just come from Pixie Hollow where she had been visiting with her fellow fairies. Now that the visit was over, she was looking to rejoin with her other friends.

As she passed by Skull Rock, a strange sound came to her tiny ears. It sounded as if there was some kind of commotion coming from within.

Flying in toward one of the holes that resembled eye sockets, she perched on the edge and gazed inside. What she saw was quite a surprise.

The Lost Boys were currently in the midst of a fight with a pair of unusual opponents: a redheaded girl dressed in pink and a yellow furred dog. The girl was brandishing what appeared to be a giant flower covered key.

Tink had never seen the girl or the dog around Never Land before. She wondered where they had come from.

But then, the fairy took a long and hard look at the girl. There was something oddly familiar about her and the weapon she carried.

Then Tink's eyes opened wide in sudden realization. She had seen the girl before.

Turning around, she flew up and headed in the direction of the mainland. She had to find Peter right away.

* * *

In another part of Never Land, sitting on the limb of a tall tree, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up was playing on his panpipes. After finishing his current tune, he let out a loud sigh.

_'It's been pretty boring lately. There doesn't seem to be anything fun to do. There's no more Heartless to hunt down and even the old codfish hasn't been up to something. At least the boys have their treasure hunting to keep them amused. Wonder if they've found it at Skull Rock by now. Still, I sure wish something exciting would happen.'_

No sooner than Peter had finished his thought, he suddenly heard a loud frantic tinkling sound. He looked up and saw his best fairy friend flying toward him at a fast speed.

"Oh, hey Tink! Glad to see you're back. Everything alright in Pixie Hollow?" he asked as the fairy stopped in front of him.

Tink ignored Peter's question and continued to speak in the same frantic tone. Peter suddenly became concerned as he took in what the fairy was saying.

"Whoa, Tink! Slow down! The boys are in a fight? Is it Hook?"

Tink shook her head and continued her tale. Once she was finished, Peter's eyes shot open.

"What?! Are you sure it was her?"

Tink nodded in response.

"Then we'd better get to Skull Rock as fast as we can," said Peter as he rose to his feet and took off into the sky. Tink followed close behind.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Peter couldn't help but feel a little elated. _'Looks like I got my wish after all.'_

* * *

"Take this!" shouted the boy in the bear suit as he threw his club at Kairi.

"Reflect!" shouted Kairi as she conjured up a barrier. The club bounced off it harmlessly.

"Charge!" said the two boys in raccoon suits as they sped toward Kairi with their wooden swords brandished.

But before they even reached the girl, a growling Pluto leapt in front of them with his teeth bared. The boys immediately turned around and ran while the dog pursued them while barking wildly.

_'So far, I've been able to fend off whatever they've thrown at me and I've avoided hurting them. But is there any way out of this pointless fight?'_ thought Kairi as she deflected more slingshot attacks.

"Attention!" shouted a voice from above. Everyone gazed upwards to see Peter floating high above them with his arms crossed over his chest and a displeased look on his face. Tink floated above his shoulder.

_'Peter Pan! And Tinker Bell! Hopefully, they can help me out of this mess,'_ thought Kairi as she gave a look of relief.

"Pan!" exclaimed the boy in the rabbit suit.

"You're just in time!" shouted the boy in the fox suit.

"This girl pirate was trying to steal our treasure! But now that you're here, we'll stop her good!" exclaimed the one in the bear suit.

"You blockheads! She's not a pirate! She's a friend!" Peter shouted angrily.

"Huh?" exclaimed all the boys at the same time as Peter landed on the ground and they all gathered around him.

"You remember that boy Sora I told you about?" asked Peter.

"Oh! The one you saved from Hook along with Wendy, Tink and his friends?" asked the boy in the rabbit suit.

Kairi felt a little annoyed when she heard the last statement. _'Sora did a little more than just be saved by you, Peter.'_

"That's the one. And it just so happens that this girl is his friend, Kairi. So, you all ought to be ashamed of yourselves for attacking her!" chided Peter.

"Well, how were we supposed to know that?!" exclaimed the one in the fox suit.

"Yeah! We'd never seed her before!" said the boy in the bear suit. The one in the skunk suit nodded in agreement.

"You shouldn't have attacked her!" accused the one in the rabbit suit.

"You started it!" said the two boys in raccoon suits.

The boys immediately started brawling with each other. Peter ignored the boys' fighting as he approached Kairi and smiled at her. "Welcome back to Never Land, Kairi! Glad to see you're more awake this time."

"Er, thank you, Peter. And for the record, I wasn't stealing anything from your treasure chest. I was only looking in it," said Kairi.

"Oh, well, no harm done then. In fact, it's great that you came back, Kairi," said Peter.

"It is?"

"Yes. Why, a few minutes ago, I was thinking how it's been pretty boring lately. But now that you're here, I can think of a million things we can do. So, first, let me show you around Never Land. Always like to give the grand tour to friends," said Peter.

"Um that won't be necessary, Peter. In fact, there's something important I need to talk to you about right now."

"Oh, come on. Let's have some fun first. You were so sleepy last time, you missed out on so much. Just a quick fly around and then we'll get to whatever you want to talk about," said Peter.

'_Looks like I don't have a choice. I'll play along for now and maybe he'll be more cooperative later.'_

"Well, okay then. But what about Pluto?" asked Kairi pointing to the dog.

"Men!" shouted Peter causing the boys to stop their fighting, stand at attention and salute. "Head back to the hideout and take the dog with you. But watch your shadows around him. Dogs tend to bite them off."

"Right, Pan! Come on, doggy!" said the boy in the fox suit gesturing to Pluto to come to him.

Pluto looked hesitant as he gazed up at Kairi. It was as if he was asking her if he should go with them.

Kairi was skeptical about trusting her companion to the boys who only a few minutes ago, were attacking them. But since Peter seemed to be able to control them, Pluto would probably be okay.

"Go with them, Pluto. I'll see you soon," said Kairi. With her blessing received, Pluto walked over to the boys and they all headed out of the cave.

Peter then turned his back to Kairi. "Hop on!"

"Are you sure you can carry me like that?" asked Kairi.

"Of course! I'm pretty strong! Just wrap your arms around my shoulders."

Kairi walked up to Peter. But before she could lay a hand on him, Tink flew right in between her and Peter and held her arms out. She had a sour look on her face.

"Whoa! What's up with her?" she asked.

"Oh, she acts like this whenever there's another girl around. She acted this way with Wendy and Aqua too. Never really understood why."

A shock ran through Kairi's mind. _'Aqua's been here too? Just how many Keyblade Wielders has Peter met? I'm really going to have to ask him about that later. Especially about that wooden Keyblade with Terra's name on it.'_

"Tink, just let me take her for a ride," said Peter.

Tink shook her head.

"Tink, don't do this," scolded Peter.

Tink folded her arms and pouted. But she flew out of Kairi's way and allowed her to wrap her arms around Peter.

Once she was in position, Peter rose up from the ground. Kairi tightened her grip on the boy.

"Ready to see Never Land?"

"I guess so. But can we not go to where the mermaids are?"

"Oh, you met them already?"

"Yes and they tried to drown me!" exclaimed Kairi angrily.

Peter laughed. "Yes, that sounds like them alright. Hold on tight!"

"Whoa!" screamed Kairi as Peter soared out of Skull Rock through one of eyeholes. Following close behind was Tink who was completely red with anger.

* * *

Much later, Peter was flying through the sky with Kairi on his back. He had been all over Never Land, showing her the most notable places. Now they were heading back to Peter's hideout.

Though still precariously holding onto Peter, Kairi had enjoyed every sight that he had shown her. She only wished that Tink would stop being such a sourpuss as she continued to trail behind with her arms folded and her face set in a jealous pout.

"So, what do you think, Kairi?"

"Never Land's a pretty amazing place, Peter. Thank you for showing me," said Kairi.

"No problem. But it's too bad Sora never got a chance to see it the first time he was here. The most he saw before he left was the inside of Hook's pirate ship."

Returning to the subject of Sora immediately brought Kairi down. _'He should be here seeing Never Land with us.'_

"Oh. I forgot to mention. I'm really glad that you managed to get away from those bad guys in black coats."

Kairi was surprised to hear that Peter knew about her being imprisoned by the first Organization. "How did you know about that?"

"Sora called on Tink and me a few times during one of his adventures. And the magic that enabled him to call us also let us know what was happening even if weren't there," said Peter.

Kairi's surprise increased. _'I had no idea Sora's summons worked like that. Wait. He did mention that his summons from his first adventure like Mushu and Simba were aware of what happened. I guess, even if the summons worked differently on the next one, the same thing applied and all of them are aware of everything that happened.'_

Then a horrible thought came to her. _'Does he already know what happened to Sora?'_

"Peter, how much do you know exactly? I mean, what was the last thing you remember Sora doing?"

"Well, let me think. The last thing I remember was him going with his silver haired friend to this stern looking old man. I think they were taking some kind of test or something. After that, nothing else. Probably for the best. Tests are boring."

_'Peter's knowledge of what Sora was doing must have been cut off when Riku and him started the Mark of Mastery exam. Master Yen Sid did say they would lose all their powers and abilities at the start. So, he doesn't know that Sora's gone.'_

Despite this fact, Kairi didn't feel any better. When she started on the journey, it never occurred to her how she was going to break the news of Sora's fate to any friends of his she might meet along the way.

"Even though it stopped, it was pretty fun joining Sora in a way on his adventures. Though I do wish he would have called on me more especially when fighting those guys in black coats. I would have shown them a thing or two and we would have beaten them just as easily as Hook."

_'No, you wouldn't have, Peter. Fighting the Organization, both the old and the new, is nothing like fighting Captain Hook. They are more dangerous than you think, and Sora would never have put you in a fight like that.'_

"There it is!" exclaimed Peter pointing downward. Kairi looked over Peter's shoulder and saw a large tree with a hangman's noose hanging from its longest limb.

"Is that your hideout?" asked Kairi.

"Yep. Hangman's Tree. Prepare for landing!"

Once they were directly over the tree, without warning, Peter flipped over. Kairi shrieked as the surprise caused her to lose her grip and fall feet first.

As Kairi closed in on the tree, she ended up falling through the top of it and onto a slide. She continued to scream as she slid until she came to a soft landing on a bed.

After recovering from the sudden thrill ride, Kairi heard a familiar bark. She looked ahead and saw Pluto bounding up to her. The dog leapt onto the bed and licked Kairi on the cheek. Kairi giggled.

"Thanks, Pluto. I needed that. Good to see you got here safe."

"Enjoy the ride down, Kairi?"

Kairi looked and saw Peter and Tink hovering close by. She frowned. "You could've warned me you were going to do that."

"What fun would that be? Right, Tink?" asked Peter causing Tink to laugh.

"Not the most thoughtful pair, are they Pluto?" asked Kairi. Pluto nodded in agreement.

Peter floated over to a thronelike chair. After sitting down, he shouted, "Men! Fall in!"

In response, the Lost Boys dropped down from the ceiling, hanging from their feet like bats. Kairi gasped in surprise.

"Sound off!" ordered Peter.

One by one, the Lost Boys disengaged from ceiling and landed on their feet. They each gave a salute while saying their name.

"Slightly!" said the one in the fox suit.

"Nibs!" said the one in the rabbit suit.

"The Twins!" said the two in the racoon suits.

Then the one in the bear suit dropped down and landed on his head. "Cubby," he muttered.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" asked Kairi as she got up and rushed to Cubby's side.

"I'm fine. This happens all the time," said Cubby as he picked himself up.

"Yeah, it's no problem," said one of the Twins.

"Cubby's head is the hardest in all of Never Land," said the other one as the both of them pounded on Cubby's head causing him to groan in pain.

"See?" they said together.

Kairi was about to object to their ill treatment of their comrade when suddenly, the Lost Boy in the skunk suit dropped into her arms. He smiled up at her.

"Now I remember you. Don't think I forgot about you beaning me with a slingshot," she said sternly.

The Lost Boy said nothing. He just continued to smile at her.

Kairi became concerned. "Can't he talk?"

"Nope. He never learned. His name's Toodles," said Slightly.

Peter then stood up on his chair and announced, "This certainly has become quite a day and we have much to celebrate. Now that Kairi's here, she can be our new mother and tell us stories and do anything else a mother can do for us."

The Lost Boys cheered. Kairi, however, had a different reaction.

'_Mother? Seriously?'_

"And even better! Since Kairi's come to Never Land, Sora can't be far behind. You'll all finally get to meet him, and we'll have many great adventures," continued Peter causing the Lost Boys to cheer even louder.

Kairi's heart sank. _'I've got to tell them. But how am I supposed to do that? How do you tell a group of boys who won't grow up that someone they know is gone?'_

"Uh, Peter?" asked Kairi. But she was drowned out by the revelry of the Lost Boys.

"Peter!" Kairi shouted louder. Still, she wasn't heard.

"PETER!"

After that outburst, Kairi found everyone's eyes on her. All of them looked confused as to why she had shouted.

"Something wrong, Kairi?" asked Peter.

Kairi let out a sad sigh as she set Toodles down on the ground. "Something is, Peter. I really hate to tell you all this. But Sora isn't coming."

The Lost Boys gasped. Tink jingled in confusion. Peter floated off his chair and landed right in front of Kairi.

"What do you mean he's not coming? I mean, if you're here, he can't far behind, right?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Peter. But Sora is…" Kairi struggled to find the right word. "…lost."

"You mean like us? A Lost Boy?" asked Slightly.

"No. Not like you at. You see, during our last adventure, something really awful happened, and Sora was lost. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm looking for him and I was hoping that you could help me," said Kairi.

"So, he was looking for you and now you're looking for him? Boy, you two seem to lose each other a lot," said Peter.

'_You don't need to remind me of that.'_

Peter sighed and floated back to his chair. "Men, it looks like we won't be getting our great adventure after all."

"Aww!" groaned the disappointed Lost Boys.

"But Kairi can still be our mother, right?" asked Nibs.

"I'm sorry, boys. But that's not why I came here. I came here looking for Sora. In fact, I was kind of hoping Peter or Tink may have seen him. But it seems that they haven't. Is that right?" asked Kairi causing both the boy and the fairy to shake their heads no.

"You boys haven't seen anyone like Sora, have you? Brown spiky hair? Dressed in red and black clothing? Carries a giant key like mine but not as flowery?" asked Kairi.

"Nope," said Slightly.

"Haven't seed anyone like that," said Cubby.

Kairi sighed and then held up the Wayfinder to look at it. _'Then why did it bring me here?'_

"Well, if none of you can help me find Sora, then I guess I should be on my way. It was nice meeting you all though even if we didn't start on the right foot and I am sorry to disappoint you. Uh where's the way out?" asked Kairi.

The Lost Boys pointed in the direction of a passage. Inside was a staircase that led upwards.

"Thanks. Come on, Pluto," said Kairi as she sadly walked toward the passage with Pluto trailing behind her.

Unseen by Kairi, as she was leaving, Tink waved pleasantly goodbye with a smug smile on her face. She clearly was not too broken up about having to see her go.

"What's the matter with her, Pan?" asked Nibs.

"I don't know. Sure, we're not getting a new adventure with Sora. But we're not that sad about it," said Peter.

"No one should be sad in Never Land!" exclaimed the Twins.

"Yes. This is a place to laugh and have fun and never be sad at all," said Slightly with Toodles nodding nearby.

"I agree. Men, we cannot let Kairi leave so sad. We must find a way to cheer her up," said Peter.

Tink floated in front of Peter. She tinkled in an objecting tone to make it clear that she didn't want Kairi to come back at all.

"No, Tink. We are going to do this. Sora wouldn't want his friend to not have a fun time in Never Land. Right?" asked Peter.

Tink folded her arms and pouted. But she did give a begrudging nod of agreement.

"So, what can we do to cheer her up?" asked Peter.

"How about another treasure hunt?" suggested the Twins.

"Nah. She already founded the treasure and she wasn't even trying. She's too good. Hey, how about we take her to meet the mermaids?" asked Cubby.

"She's already done that and for some reason, she didn't like that very much," said Peter.

"So much for your great idea," said Slightly as he bopped Cubby on the head.

Then Peter's face lit up. "I've got it! I know just what we can do for her!"

* * *

Outside Hangman's Tree, Kairi sat on a nearby rock. Pluto was sitting in front of her while she gazed at the Wayfinder.

"'Follow in the footsteps of your special one and a broken heart may be healed.' That's what the woman in my dream said to always remember on this journey, Pluto," said Kairi causing Pluto to look confused.

"Yeah. I don't get it either. I also don't understand much of the stuff she told me like it would bring me to where I needed to be and wherever that was, there would be a reason. But what could it be?"

Kairi let out a deep sigh as Pluto nuzzled up to her in sympathy. "I knew getting Sora back wasn't going to be easy. But I never thought it would be this hard."

"Kairi!"

Kairi turned back toward Hangman's Tree. Peter had emerged from one of the entrances and was flying toward her.

"What is it, Peter?" she asked dryly.

"Look, the boys and I are sorry about what happened in there. Let us make it up to you," said Peter.

"Thanks, Peter. But I don't think there's anything you all could do," said Kairi as she and Pluto began to walk away.

"Oh, there is! In fact, it may even help you look for Sora," said Peter.

Kairi stopped in her tracks and turned back. "Really? What is it?"

"You're going to love this. In fact, Sora actually wanted you to try it when he planned to bring you here himself," said Peter as he floated up to Kairi and gave her a big smile.

"Kairi, would you like to learn how to fly?"

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__I've really been playing up Peter and the rest of his crew's more negative traits at the start. They may be good guys but they do have their flaws. Chalk it all up to perpetual immaturity. Fun fact: did you know that in J.M. Barrie's original play, Peter would actually side with the pirates if he thought the battles were getting too one-sided? He would even kill any Lost Boys to thin the herd as it were. So, believe me when I say that Disney's version is a lighter than the original (as are many of their adaptations). Next chapter, Kairi begins her flying lessons although you can probably guess what direction it's heading. __Reviews are much appreciated! __Stay tuned!_


	12. Ch 10: Flying Lessons

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! By now, I bet you're all wondering why there's been no encounters with the Heartless or Nobodies. Well, in universe, I currently don't have an explanation for the reason they seem to have taken a vacation. But maybe I'll come up with one later. Out of universe, I have a long journey for Kairi planned with multiple worlds and I don't want each visit to be too long. Plus, with Maleficent taking the reigns of the Big Bad for this story and since she lost control of her Heartless in KH2, it wouldn't make sense for her to just suddenly have them again. But don't worry. In nearly every world she visits, Kairi will be in a major battle. But not against enemies that you can just attack with a Keyblade until they pop. You'll see in due time. Now let's see how her flying lesson goes. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Flying Lessons**

**Never Land**

"I'm not sure this is a good idea, Peter," said Kairi as she stood up on a tall cliff. Gazing downward, she saw many sharp rocks at the bottom. "You expect me, for my first flying attempt, to jump off this?"

"Hey, if anything, it'll motivate you more to get it right on the first try. It certainly worked for Sora. He fell right toward the open mouth of Mr. Crocodile and took off just before he snapped shut," said Peter as he hovered in front of her.

"He didn't exactly have a choice about that with Hook forcing him off the plank," said Kairi.

"Look, it'll be easy. I mean take a look at me. I'm a natural," said Peter.

_'Maybe it's because you're so full of hot air,'_ thought Kairi.

"I'll only do this if you promise me that if something goes wrong, you'll catch me. Is that clear?" asked Kairi.

"Okay. But don't worry so much. You'll get it. You won't even need me to catch you," said Peter.

"So how does it work exactly?"

"It's easy, Kairi," said the voices of the Twins. Kairi turned around to see the Lost Boys sitting on nearby rocks. Pluto stood nearby.

"All it takes is faith!" exclaimed Nibs as Tink began to sprinkle pixie dust on all of them.

"Trust!" exclaimed Slightly as the Lost Boys began to float in the air.

"And something else. I know what it is. But I just can't think of it right now," said Cubby as he scratched his forehead while turning upside down in mid-air.

"Pixie dust?" asked Kairi.

"Yeah. That's it! How'd you know?" asked Cubby.

"It is kind of obvious seeing as how you all lifted off right after Tink covered you with the stuff," said Kairi. _'Plus, I remember that's how Sora, Donald and Goofy got that ability too.'_

"You see, Kairi? It's easy. Tink!" called Peter as the fairy flew directly in front of his face. "Dust her!"

Tink just folded her arms and turned away.

"Tink, don't be that way. Remember, we're doing this to help Kairi find Sora. If she's able to fly, she'll get a whole new view to watch out for him from. So, let her have it," said Peter.

_'It's going to be harder to find Sora than that, Peter. Still, the ability to fly may come in handy wherever I may go on this journey so I can't afford to pass it up. In fact, maybe that's why the Wayfinder brought me here: to learn this skill,'_ thought Kairi.

Tink finally relented and circled around Kairi. As she flew, she spread her pixie dust all over the Princess of Heart. Once Kairi was covered head to toe in the magical substance, Tink returned to Peter's side.

"Now you're all set. Okay, Kairi. Give it a try," said Peter as he floated over the cliff and beckoned her to follow.

"Uh how do you start it up?" asked Kairi.

In response, Toodles floated in front of her. He slid his fingers across the corners of his mouth while smiling. Then he tapped on his forehead.

"What's he trying to say?" asked Kairi.

"He's saying to think of a happy thought," said Slightly.

"Yeah. That's all you need to start flying," said the Twins.

"It's true. Thinking of the happiest things is the same as having wings," said Peter with Tink nodding in agreement.

_'Happy thoughts? Well, I haven't been having many of those lately. But maybe I can muster some up with a few good memories.'_

Kairi walked up to the edge of the cliff. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the various memories she held dear.

Drawing the first stages of the paopu drawing in the Secret Place when she and Sora were young.

Giving Sora her lucky charm for the first time.

Finding Sora's addition to the paopu drawing and adding her own.

Throwing her arms around Sora tightly when they reunited in the Organization's castle.

Kairi smiled and for a moment, it seemed as if she was slowly inching off the ground. That is, until other memories began to surge through her mind. These memories were the ones she wished she could forget.

Watching Sora vanish right in front of her after he used Ansem's Keyblade to free her heart from his body.

The sorrow as memories of Sora slowly slipped away.

Being ripped away from Sora twice during the Keyblade War first by the Demon Tide and then by Xemnas.

Xehanort explicitly telling her what he planned to do to her to give Sora motivation.

Kairi opened her eyes with a gasp. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Kairi? Are you okay?" asked Peter.

"I-I'm fine, Peter," said Kairi as she wiped away the tear. "I was trying to jump start the happy thoughts with my favorite memories of Sora. But I lost it when a few bad memories came through."

Kairi then turned away from the cliff and began to walk away. Peter flew after her.

"Don't give up yet. I know you can do it."

"I'm not giving up. Just trying a different approach. Maybe with a running start and focusing on one single memory, I can pull it off," said Kairi as she turned back around.

After taking a deep breath, Kairi ran back towards the cliff. Peter and the Lost Boys gave out loud cheers of encouragement. Pluto, however, just covered his eyes with his ears.

As Kairi ran, she focused her thoughts on one special memory. This memory was the one she currently treasured above all others.

The sunset when she and Sora finally shared the paopu fruit for real and bound their lives and destinies together forever.

Holding onto this happy memory, Kairi continued to run until she reached the edge of the cliff. Closing her eyes and spreading her arms like wings, she gave a powerful leap and left the ground.

A few seconds passed before Kairi opened her eyes and let out a gasp of surprise.

She was hovering in the air. She was flying!

"You did it, Kairi!" exclaimed Peter as the Lost Boys cheered, and Pluto barked happily. Even Tink was smiling and clapping her hands.

_'I did it! I did it, Sora! I…'_ thought Kairi when suddenly, a bad memory shot through her: the memory of the last words she heard from her beloved.

_'Kairi, I'm so sorry.'_

With the happy thought superseded by the awful memory, Kairi's brief moment of flight came to end. She immediately dropped like a stone. Gazing downward, Kairi saw the sharp rocks on the bottom approaching fast and screamed with terror

_'Come on! Come back happy thought!'_

But it was no use. With her mind filled with terror, there was no way to resume flight.

But suddenly, just before she hit the sharp rocks, she stopped. She was now dangling upside down in the air. Craning her neck, she looked up and saw that Peter had grabbed her by her ankles. She gave a sigh of relief.

Peter flew back up to the cliff and gently lowered Kairi so she was now on her hands and knees on the ground. As she pulled herself into a sitting position, the Lost Boys surrounded her with looks of concern. Pluto came right up to her and nuzzled against her face.

"What happened, Kairi? You almost had it," said Peter.

Kairi let out a deep sigh and clutched her knees to her chest. "I don't think I'm going to be able to fly at all, Peter."

"But why?" asked Nibs.

"Anybody can do it," chimed in Slightly.

"I'm sure anybody can. But as hard as I try, I can't keep up any happy thoughts. You see, boys, my happiest memories always involved Sora and my other friends. But since I lost him, I can't think of happier times with him without my worse memories interrupting them. That's why I don't think I'll be able to fly."

"I never knewed happy thoughts could become sad thoughts," said Cubby as he scratched his head.

"Maybe since thinking of Sora's not making her happy, why doesn't she just think of something else? Maybe another friend?" asked Slightly.

"That might work. Kairi, why don't you try thinking of happier times with your other friends. Maybe that one with the silver hair? What was his name? Riku?" asked Peter.

"Before I left, Riku and I weren't speaking to each other, Peter. So, that won't work either," said Kairi. _'Guess I won't be learning a new skill after all.'_

Then Pluto began to bark. He sounded worried.

"What is it, Pluto?" asked Kairi.

In response, the dog pointed with his nose toward her neck. Her hands went to where he was indicating, and she gasped.

Her usual necklace was there. But the Wayfinder was missing.

"The Wayfinder! It's gone!" exclaimed Kairi as she rose to her feet and ran back to the edge of the cliff with Pluto, Peter, Tink and the Lost Boys following behind her. "It must have slid off of me when you stopped my fall, Peter. Could you and Tink please go down there and look for it?"

"You got it, Kairi! Come on, Tink!" said Peter as he and the fairy flew down toward the sharp rocks.

Kairi clutched the sides of her head worriedly. _'I hope it's not damaged or worse. That Wayfinder's my only hope of getting Sora back.'_

Just then, Tink flew up back to the cliff. She had the Wayfinder dangling from her tiny hands.

"You found it! And it's alright! Thanks, Tink!" exclaimed Kairi as she approached the fairy, ready to take the Wayfinder from her.

But, with a sly smirk on her face, Tink suddenly tossed the Wayfinder into the air. It sailed over Kairi and landed in the hands of one of the Twins.

Kairi was shocked. "What did do that for, Tink?" she asked prompting the fairy to give a mock shrug in response.

"Hey, Nibs! Go long!" said the Twin as he prepared to throw the Wayfinder himself.

"No! Don't!" cried Kairi as she ran to stop him. But she was too late, and the Twin already threw it to Nibs.

The impromptu game of keepaway escalated as each of the Lost Boys tossed the Wayfinder back and forth as Kairi frantically tried to retrieve it.

"Come on, boys! This isn't funny!" she yelled. But the Lost Boys were too busy laughing and keeping up their game that her protests fell on deaf ears.

'_Maybe Peter can stop this,'_ thought Kairi as she turned around, hoping that Peter had finally come up.

He had indeed returned. But he was currently floating in the air clutching his sides as he laughed at the scene in front of him.

Kairi scowled. _'I can't believe he's allowing this. Can't he see that I'm not pleased at all with this?'_

Finally, just as Slightly had thrown the Wayfinder in the direction of Cubby, Pluto leapt up into the air and caught it by the chain with his mouth. He then walked over to Kairi. With a grateful smile, she took the talisman from him and put it around her neck.

"Thanks, Pluto," she said as she petted the top of the dog's head.

"Aww! The dog ruined our game!" shouted Cubby.

Kairi gave a look of disgust toward the Lost Boys as she held up the Wayfinder. "This is not a toy to be played with. Why couldn't you boys just stop when I asked? You know what. This is the last straw. I'm not spending one more minute with such insensitive, thoughtless children who think life is just one big game. Because it's not."

Paying no attention to the stunned looks on the boys' faces, Kairi stomped off toward the jungle with Pluto following behind. Peter flew after her.

"Aw come on, Kairi! They were only having some fun. You should have joined in. It probably would've made you feel better," he said as he flew alongside her.

"Peter, the only thing that will ever make me feel better is finding Sora. And my Wayfinder is the only thing I have that can possibly lead me to him," said Kairi angrily.

"Well, how were we supposed to know that?" asked Peter.

"I would've explained it. But for a bunch of boys who won't grow up, I'm afraid any attempt would be lost on you."

"But Kairi…"

"Just forget it, Peter. You all have no idea what it's like to miss someone so much that you'll do anything to see them again," said Kairi.

With that, Kairi accelerated and ran faster into the jungle and Pluto followed. They didn't care where they would end up. They just wanted to get as far away from Peter and his crew as possible.

* * *

A while later, Kairi and Pluto had stopped. They were currently in the middle of a small clearing in the jungle. Still steamed about what had happened earlier, Kairi was pacing all around while Pluto watched.

"I don't know about you, Pluto. But I have had it up to here with this place. Peter and Tinker Bell were such a big help to Sora, Donald and Goofy on their adventures. Why aren't they doing the same for us?" she asked.

Kairi then raised the Wayfinder up above her head to the sky and shouted, as if her words could reach the ears of her mysterious benefactor, "I'm trying to do what you said I had to do. But couldn't you have given me more information of what I have to do to get this thing to glow? Because if there's supposed to be a reason for my being here, I am not seeing it. Why couldn't it bring us to a world where I could get actual help in finding Sora?"

The Princess' rant went unheard. She wasn't surprised. In fact, she would've been more surprised if the mysterious woman from her dream had actually answered.

Pluto whimpered. Kairi glanced at him and let out a big sigh.

"I don't know, Pluto. They shouldn't have been playing around with the Wayfinder like that. But maybe I was a little too hard on them. It's not like they knew how important the Wayfinder is. I haven't exactly told them everything. They believe that Sora's just lost somewhere and can easily be found. But how do I tell them it's not as simple as that?"

Kairi continued to walk around the clearing. _'Then again, it's not like I've been completely honest before I started on this quest. I didn't tell Riku and the others how I guilty I was feeling about what happened to Sora. But like a stubborn fool, I thought it was my burden to bear alone. Maybe if I had told them, maybe we wouldn't have fought, and we'd all be searching for Sora together right now.'_

"Should I go back and at least try to explain to them more about what happened to Sora and what I'm trying to do? Peter and Tink already know about the other worlds so I wouldn't have to worry about the world order. But would they even understand? What do you think, Pluto?" she asked as she turned toward her canine companion. She let out a gasp at what she saw.

Pluto was currently being hogtied by a couple of thuggish men dressed in pirate garb. They had also tied his mouth shut with rope.

Before she could react further, a gag was suddenly pulled over her mouth. Then she felt her arms getting pulled behind her back.

A horrible feeling shot through Kairi. The attack on her brought back the memories of Xemnas abducting her in the middle of the Keyblade War; the moment where everything truly went downhill for her and Sora.

As her hands were tied behind her back with rope, more pirates stepped out of the foliage. All of them were brandishing cutlasses and guns and evil smiles. They chuckled wickedly at her.

Then, stepping through the middle of the crowd, came a very familiar face. He was a tall, thin pirate dressed in a red coat and hat. He had black hair and a very thin moustache. But his most notable feature was the metal hook that replaced his left hand.

The most infamous pirate in all of Never Land: Captain James Hook.

Followed by his ever faithful first mate, Mr. Smee, Hook walked up to Kairi. Bending down to her eye level, he gave the captive princess a wicked smile.

"Hello, Kairi."

* * *

**_Notes from the Mad Doctor: _**_So, the old codfish has finally shown up. And in doing so, has set this story up for this world's big battle. __You can tell I've been using Return to Never Land as a major influence for this world visit with Kairi as a stand-in for Wendy's daughter Jane. So __I bet you aren't surprised that Kairi was going to be unable to fly. Even though she's not as cynical as Jane, in Kairi's state of mind, it was a foregone conclusion. After writing this chapter, I realize I'm still tormenting her even though I said I had brought her to rock bottom after her nightmare a couple of chapters ago. But the path up from the bottom is never easy. Also, the non-canon scenes and aspects I mentioned (for example, Sora's last words) will be shown later down the road. Anyway, I like to give a shoutout to another post-KH3 Kairi-centric work which I should have included with my shoutouts on the summary page. It's a comic on Deviantart called A World without Sky by Miraclekid92. It's got great artwork and a great selection of Disney worlds. Anyway, the big battle starts next chapter! Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	13. Ch 11: Hook's New Grudge

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! Before we get to the story, a moment of seriousness if I may. I'd just like to say that I hope each and every one of you is doing all you can to keep yourselves healthy and safe during this time. I know things have become pretty abnormal lately. But let's not lose heart and keep hoping that they will get better in time. We all just have to do our part. Now without further ado, the next chapter. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Hook's New Grudge**

**Never Land**

Anchored in the waters off the shores of Never Land was the dreaded pirate ship the Jolly Roger. Once the terror of the seas, it now sat collecting barnacles due to its captain's obsession with getting revenge on the boy who cut off his hand.

The pirates had just returned to the ship. Currently, they were disembarking the lifeboats and proceeding onto the main deck.

"Lash the prisoner to the mast! And string up that mutt of hers as well," ordered Hook as he climbed out of his lifeboat with his first mate by his side.

"Aye-aye captain," said a big burly pirate covered in various tattoos as he reached into another lifeboat and picked up the still bound and gagged Kairi. Slinging her over his shoulder, he proceeded toward the mainmast with several of his crewmates carrying Pluto behind him.

As the pirate carried her, Kairi squirmed and kicked while uttering several muffled threats from her gagged mouth. But the pirate was unfazed and simply continued on.

Hook wore a look of absolute glee on his face. "It certainly has been a red-letter day for us today, Smee."

"Oh yes, Captain. Indeed, it is," said Smee.

"Who would have thought that when we investigated that mysterious fireball that shot out from Mermaid Lagoon that we would learn that Never Land had a special visitor? And who'd would've thought that it would turn out to be her of all people?"

Then a pirate dressed in a pink shirt, red shorts and wearing a red bandana named Mr. Starkey approached them. "The prisoner's been tied to the mast as you ordered, captain."

"Very tightly I hope, Mr. Starkey?"

"Aye-aye, captain. She's a feisty one and she tried to fight us off. But she's not going anywhere."

"Excellent. Now all of you attend to your duties while Smee and I extend a proper welcome to our guest," said Hook.

With that, the other pirates spread over the deck and began to do various things while Hook and Smee travelled over to the mainmast. Kairi was now tied to it and was currently glaring daggers at the two pirates.

Nearby, Pluto had been strung up, so he was dangling by his bound feet from a rope tied to one of the beams of the sails. Though his mouth was still tied shut, he growled at the pirate captain.

With a cruel smile, Hook raised his hook and inched it toward Kairi. Her defiant eyes became fearful as he reached under the gag and undid it.

"Well, Miss Kairi, it appears that I was wrong about you. Why, the last time you were onboard me vessel, you had lost your heart and I was telling your friend Riku that reclaiming it was a lost cause. I even said I'd stake me other hand it was lost forever. How fortunate I never made that wager official. But in any case, I bid you welcome aboard the Jolly Roger," said Hook as he raised his hat and bowed to Kairi.

"Oh yes. I feel so welcome. Is this how you treat all your guests, Hook?" snarked Kairi.

"Only those who may prove troublesome. You and your mangy cur best get used to your current situation. You're going to be with us for quite some time."

"What do want with me, Hook?" asked Kairi.

"With you? Oh, nothing in particular, girl. I be having much bigger fish to fry and you're simply the worm on the hook."

Kairi gasped. "I'm bait? For what? For Peter?"

"I'm afraid you are incorrect on that notion, my dear. For once, that accursed boy is not in me sights. Besides, why would he come for you? Especially after what you said to him and those wretched friends of his. Although, I must commend you for calling out those boys on their notorious bad form. It was high time someone recognized their behavior for what it was."

If Kairi had any hopes of Peter and his crew coming to her rescue, Hook had definitely dashed them. _'He's right. Why would they come for me after the way I yelled at them?'_

"No, my dear. Me true quarry is none other than your friend, Sora."

Kairi gasped again. "Sora? But why?"

"You didn't think a self-respecting pirate such meself would let such humiliation go unpunished, do you? Once he hears that I've got in you in me clutches, he'll come right here faster than Pan can fly. And that's when he'll meet his doom!" exclaimed Hook with an evil chuckle.

Kairi's blood boiled as she listened to the captain. _'Not again! How many more villains are going to use me to get to Sora?'_

"Oh yes. When he comes, he'll find no mindless Heartless that he so valiantly defeated when he was here last. Those creatures proved to be a great disappointment. Instead, he'll be facing the most blackhearted cutthroats that ever sailed the seven seas!" announced Hook eliciting a cheer from all the pirates on deck.

"Sora's faced a lot worse than this bunch, Hook!" exclaimed Kairi.

"Well, should fortune smile on him and he manages to survive the crew, I happen to have a secondary plan. Once he sees you at me mercy, I'm sure he'll gladly leap off the plank to spare you any harm! No matter what happens, he'll finally meet his end!" said Hook with a maniacal laugh.

Kairi's heart sank. _'He's right. If Sora was here and saw me in danger, maybe he really would. It's all happened before. It seems all anyone has to do to get Sora is to get me first. Why does this keep happening?'_

"Quite a brilliant plan if I do say so meself. Am I right, Smee?"

"Oh, yes sir. It definitely won't be a repeat of last time. I mean, tossing that boy into the hold seemed like a good idea at the time. But he and his friends were more than a match for the Heartless. They were even more than a match for you, Captain," rambled Smee before he caught a glimpse of Hook threatening to clobber him with his namesake.

"Of course, he probably just got lucky," said Smee cowering before his boss.

"Of course, he got lucky, you idiot! I could've easily defeated that boy if it weren't for the interference of that blasted Peter Pan. So, I'll thank you not to bring that incident up unless you wish to walk the plank yourself. UNDERSTAND?!" shouted Hook with the intensity of a gale force wind that nearly knocked Smee off his feet.

"Y-yes sir! A-aye-aye sir!" stammered Smee with a salute.

"You're wasting your time, Hook. Sora won't be coming for me," muttered Kairi.

Hook chuckled. "Don't think you can pull the wool over this captain's eyes, missy. I remember how relentlessly he fought through me ship to get to you before Riku so rudely left with you. He will come. I have no doubt."

"He would come. If he were still alive," said Kairi as a tear dripped down her face.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Hook and the rest of the pirate crew.

"You heard me, Hook. Sora's already gone."

Hook gazed at Kairi with anger. "Don't you lie to me, girl!" he shouted while waving his hook in her face.

Smee took a closer look into Kairi's eyes. He could see all the pain and sorrow reflected in them. A twinge of pity shot through the first mate. "Captain, I don't think she's lying."

Hook himself then looked at Kairi. Upon looking into her eyes, he realized that she was indeed telling the truth. No person could fake that kind of genuine hurt. But instead of pity, all he felt was annoyance.

"Blast! I was looking forward to ending that boy meself. But apparently somebody else beat me to the punch!"

Hook suddenly found himself surrounded by his crew. They immediately started bombarding him with questions.

"So, what are we supposed to do with her then, captain?" asked Mr. Starkey.

"Yes. If the boy she is to be bait for is already dead, then what good is she?" asked Damien Salt, a chubby pirate with a fez and a moustache.

"She's useless!" exclaimed Bill Jukes, a short pirate with a peg leg.

As the pirates continued to debate her fate, Kairi sadly gazed at Pluto and reflected on what an utter disaster her quest had been up to now. _'Useless. That's the word that sums me up perfectly. Nothing's gone right for me on this quest. I couldn't fly. I couldn't stay friends with Peter, Tink and the boys. And now I'm captured once again. What is wrong with me? Why can't I do what Sora did when he was adventuring?'_

"Why don't we just let her go?"

Kairi's head turned in the direction of whoever said that unusual phrase. So did Hook and the pirates. They were shocked to see that it was Smee.

"Let her go?" asked Hook incredulously looking at his first mate as if he had sprouted a second head.

"Well, captain, she really hasn't done anything to you personally not like Pan or Sora and the poor girl seems so heartbroken. Can't we show a little mercy just this one time?" asked Smee nervously.

Hook grit his teeth in anger. But then his frown vanished and was replaced by a smile.

"You're right, Smee," said Hook causing the rest of the crew to look shocked. "The poor dear does look like she's been through a lot. So, we'll show some mercy and let her go."

"Really, captain?" asked Smee.

"Yes. We'll let her go. Right off the edge of the plank!" roared Hook causing the pirates to cheer and immediately set off to prepare their favourite method of execution.

"Since the opportunity to send the boy to Davy Jones' Locker has passed us by, I supposed we'll have to settle for doing it to his faithful friend. That should make the day not a complete waste. Smee, fetch one of the spare anchors so we can tie her to it before we make her walk the plank. She may have failed at flying but let's not take any chances, right?"

"Yes, captain." Smee then gazed at Kairi who was shocked at the turn of events. All he could do was shrug and then he left.

Hook approached Kairi and smiled at her. "You'll be reunited with your friend Sora very soon, my dear. You should thank me for mercifully relieving you of your sorrow. But before we make you walk the plank, answer me this one question: who was the one responsible for Sora's untimely demise? I would love to shake their hand."

Kairi lowered her head and, in a voice barely above a whisper, said, "It was me."

"Speak up, girl! What was that again?" Hook asked as he glared at her menacingly.

Kairi was about to repeat her answer. But just then, a very familiar sound rang through the air around the ship.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Right before Kairi's eyes, the menace left Hook's expression. It was replaced by a look of abject terror.

"Smee!" cried out the terrified captain.

"Yes captain?" asked Smee as he dragged a large anchor across the deck.

"Do you hear that? The crocodile is near! Drop everything! You and the crew chase it away! I'll be in me cabin hiding under me bed until it's gone," said Hook as he swiftly ran across the deck to a door. He quickly opened it up, entered through it and slammed it shut.

"You heard the captain! Let's find that crocodile and send him on his way," said Smee as he dropped the anchor.

"But where he be?" asked Damien Salt.

"The ticking seems to be coming from the bow side," said Mullins, a pirate wearing a bandana and an eyepatch.

Smee and the pirates quickly charged to the bow of the ship. They immediately looked over the sides for any sign of their captain's reptilian nemesis.

Kairi couldn't believe how things had turned. _'Amazing how Hook can change from the most threatening man in Never Land to a screaming coward the moment he hears a ticking sound. I suppose its lucky for me the crocodile showed up. But it won't matter if I can't escape and I can't see how to do it. I'm tied too tightly so even if I could summon my Keyblade, I don't think I'd be able to cut myself loose.'_

"Psst! Kairi!" whispered a familiar voice followed by a tinkling sound that seemed to be coming from the other side of the mast.

"Peter? Tink? Is that you?" she quietly asked.

"Yes, it's us. Don't worry. We're going to get you and your dog out of here," said Peter as he began to cut through the ropes with his dagger.

Kairi glanced upward to where Pluto was and saw that Cubby, Nibs and Toodles had climbed onto the beam and were untying the rope. Once they finished, they carefully lowered the dog to the deck.

As he continued to slice through Kairi's ropes, Peter muttered, "Rotten old codfish. I hate it when he does this. I'm fine with him keeping it between me and him. But capturing my friends to get at me? That's when he goes too far!"

As Kairi listened to Peter's quiet ramblings, she felt oddly touched. _'Peter may be a little off about why Hook captured me. But after what I said to him and the boys, he still considers me a friend?'_

Finally, Peter was finished. The cut ropes fell to the deck and Kairi moved away from the mast. Peter immediately flew over to Pluto and started to cut through his bonds.

"Peter, Tink, boys, I can't believe you all came for us."

"Well, of course we camed for you, Kairi," said Cubby as he the other boys jumped down off the beam.

"You're our friend," said Nibs as Toodles nodded eagerly.

"Yeah and we're certainly not going to leave a friend in Hook's clutches," said Peter.

"How did you know I was in trouble?"

"Tink followed you after you left. When she saw the pirates ambush you, she flew back and told us what happened," said Peter.

Kairi gazed toward the fairy, the one member of Peter's crew who had made her dislike of her pretty clear. To her surprise, Tink was smiling in the most genuine way. The Princess of Heart gave her a grateful one in return.

"Lucky thing the crocodile showed up just now so you guys could rescue us."

"Heh. We make our own luck, Kairi. The crocodile's not even here. Those ticking sounds are actually coming from Slightly and the Twins. We've actually been practicing our ticking sounds so we can really drive Hook crazy. And thanks to you, now we know they work," said Peter.

"Uh, you're welcome. You certainly convinced me," said Kairi.

Peter finished freeing Pluto. The dog got to his feet and immediately ran up to Kairi. The Princess petted her companion.

"You'd better take Pluto and run for one of the lifeboats now, Kairi. We'll make sure that Hook pays for what he's done," said Peter as Tink and the boys nodded.

Kairi ran past Peter and toward one of the lifeboats with Pluto by her side. But then she stopped.

"No."

"What was that, Kairi?" asked Peter.

Kairi turned around and gave Peter and his group a determined look. "I'm not running away from this fight. You were wrong about why he captured me, Peter. It wasn't to get at you. It was to get at Sora."

Peter, Tink and the Lost Boys' jaws dropped in surprise. It was likely that the thought of that notion hadn't crossed their minds.

"Kind of surprising that your archnemesis is plotting revenge against someone else, isn't it? And Hook's not the first villain to do something like this to me. In fact, being captured by an evil villain who needed Sora to do what he wanted is what lead to him being lost. Well, I won't stand for it any longer. This time, I'm going to make sure my captors get the message that they messed with the wrong girl!"

Peter, Tink and the boys were surprised by Kairi's bold declaration. Pluto however regarded his friend with admiration.

Peter smiled. "Well, if it's that important that you join us in the fight, Kairi, then we'd be glad to have you. Let's show Hook and his pirates once again why it's not a good idea to capture and use friends as bait!" he declared as the small group gathered in a huddle to discuss a battle strategy.

While Peter outlined the plan, Kairi gazed over to where Smee and the other pirates were still looking for the nonexistent crocodile. Very soon, she would be engaging in battle with those cutthroats and in spite of her apparent confidence, she still felt a twinge of self-doubt.

'_I certainly hope that this battle goes better for me than the last one I was in,'_ she thought with memories of the disaster at the Keyblade Graveyard running through her mind. Hopefully, now that she had six months of better training and was fighting alongside allies who had experience in defeating the current enemies, the upcoming fight would end more favorably for her.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__I'm sorry I didn't start the battle like I had said in my notes from the last chapter. But as I was writing, I realized that it was better to end it here and start the battle next chapter because it was dragging on too long. Sorry again. I plan to be doing a lot more writing during this time. I'm going to try and get a new chapter posted every week (without sacrificing quality of course). Right now, my current goal is to try and get Kairi out of Never Land and into the next world by the time things get back to normal for me. I also am currently preparing a story or two for SoKai Week this year, which will be my first participation in the event. Wish me luck! Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	14. Ch 12: The Battle of the Jolly Roger

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! I forgot to mention that if you need pictures to go with the names of Hook's pirate crew, they can be found on the Disney wiki (except for Damien Salt whose name was taken from his counterpart in the Epic Mickey series). Anyway, here's the big battle scene! Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Battle of the Jolly Roger**

**Never Land**

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

"No sign of the beast anywhere!" exclaimed Damien Salt as the pirates continued to peruse the waters.

"There's not even a bloomin' ripple," said Bill Jukes.

"Now men, we can still hear the ticking. So, until we don't hear it anymore, we keep looking," said Smee.

"Perhaps the captain was only hearing things," said Mr. Starkey.

"Then how come we all can hear it?" asked Mullins.

"Simple. We've put up with the captain's paranoia for so long that now whenever he thinks he hears the crocodile near, he has a way of making us all think we're hearing it," said Mr. Starkey.

The other pirates began to consider this outlandish notion. But ever faithful Smee refused to believe. "Now let's not have any bad talk about our captain, men. He'd take it as mutiny talk," he said.

Suddenly, everything went silent. The ticking had ceased. The pirates gazed around in confusion.

"There, you see. The crocodile probably realized the captain wasn't out, so he finally left," said Smee.

"Then how come we didn't see it?" asked Damien Salt.

Smee shrugged. "Maybe it's trying to be sneakier. Heh-heh. Not that it would help it in the slightest. I mean the moment we hear that sound; we know immediately…"

"COCK-A-DOODLE DOO!"

The sudden crowing caused Smee and the pirates to nearly jump out of their skins. They barely had the time to recover from the shock when a flash of green flew out from behind them and float in front of them, laughing his head off.

"It's Pan!" exclaimed Black Murphy, an unshaven pirate dressed in green.

"Hello, fellas! Nice day, we're having, isn't it?" asked Peter as he tipped his hat.

"Why, yes, it is," said Smee pleasantly causing the other pirates to glare at him.

Realizing that he was not striking the proper tone, Smee cleared his throat and said, "Peter Pan, what business brings you to the Jolly Roger?"

"Oh, no reason. Just thought I'd drop by and teach you ruffians a lesson about using my friend as a bait for my other friend!" shouted Peter angrily.

"Friend?" asked Smee confusedly.

"He means me!"

Smee turned around and gasped as he found himself face to face with Kairi as she pointed the tip of Destiny's Embrace right in his face. Pluto, Tink and the Lost Boys stood around her glaring at the pirates.

"If there's one thing you pirates should know, it's that I don't appreciate being kidnapped to be involved in plans against my best friend," Kairi declared as her friends nodded in agreement.

"The prisoner!" exclaimed Bill Jukes.

"She's been freed!" exclaimed Mr. Starkey.

"Say your prayers, blackguards! We'll teach you a lesson about how to treat a girl!" shouted Peter as he flew down to Kairi's side and took out his dagger.

"Get them!" shouted Damien Salt as the pirates, with the exception of Smee, took out their weapons and charged at the Kairi and Peter's crew.

"Scatter, everyone! Except you, Kairi! You stick with me and Tink!" said Peter.

"Right, Peter!" exclaimed Kairi as she ran alongside Peter and Tink while the Lost Boys spread all over the deck with the pirates charging after them.

Smee, however, just stood where he was and watched the battle unfold. _'__The girl has a Keyblade? O__h, the captain is not going to pleased about this at all.'_

Then he realized what he should have been doing. "The captain! He should know about this!" he exclaimed as he began to run toward the end of the ship where the captain's cabin was.

But before he could get far, he was intercepted by Pluto. His teeth were bared as he growled savagely.

"Uh nice dog?" asked Smee timidly.

Pluto responded with rapid-fire barking. With a shriek, Smee ran with the dog in hot pursuit. Coming to one of the masts, he leapt onto it and began to climb.

Before he could get far up, Pluto leapt and caught the seat of Smee's pants in his mouth. The pants ripped revealing his underwear. Smee scrambled up further until he was finally out of reach of the dog's teeth.

"Shoo, dog! Shoo!" Smee shouted as he kicked his leg at Pluto while clinging on for dear life with the irate Pluto barking at him as if he were a cat he chased up a tree.

In the meantime, the entire deck of the Jolly Roger had erupted into chaos. Members of both sides were now scattered around engaged in combat with each other.

Kairi and Peter's side, unfortunately, was at a disadvantage. The pirates were in far greater numbers and since Kairi and Peter were the only ones who could take the pirates head-on, Tink and the Lost Boys were outsized and outgunned due to the pirates being bigger and bearing better weapons.

Fortunately, they had ways of compensating for that. They had their small size, their cleverness and they knew how to use the environment to their advantage.

"Come back here!" shouted Black Murphy as he chased after Nibs. But the rabbit-suited boy kept running until he lured the pirate right where he wanted him.

Before Black Murphy knew it, the Twins pulled a cannon across his path. He tripped over it and slammed face first into the deck. He moaned in pain.

"You really ought to watch where you're running!" said the Twins as they and Nibs ran off.

At the same time, Cubby had come to a pile of cannonballs. Using all his strength, he struggled to pick one up. Just as he finally did, he was confronted by Mullins who pointed a knife at him.

"Drop it!" the pirate commanded.

"If you say so," said the boy as he dropped the cannonball right onto Mullins' right foot. The pirate screamed in pain and clutched his foot while Cubby made his getaway.

As Mullins continued to hold his foot, he hopped backward. He was so engrossed in pain that he didn't see the looped rope on the deck. Once the foot he was hopping on was in the loop, Slightly and Cubby pulled on a rope and hoisted Mullins so that he was dangling from a beam much like Pluto had been earlier.

"It worked!" exclaimed Cubby as he and Slightly tied the rope down to leave Mullins where he was.

"Good thing you set up these traps while we were distracting the pirates with our ticking," said Slightly.

"Well, let's go see who else needs our help," said Cubby as he and Slightly rushed off.

"Come on! You almost had me that time! Do you want me to slow down a little?" taunted Peter as he dodged a punch from the large tattooed pirate.

"Is it really a good idea to mock your opponent like that, Peter?" asked Kairi as she crossed her Keyblade with Mr. Starkey's sword nearby.

"Of course it is, Kairi. It's actually one of my favorite ways to fight. You see, the angrier your opponent is, the more careless they get. It makes the battle easier and a lot more fun," said Peter as he dodged another blow from the pirate, zipped around behind him and stuck him in the rear with his dagger causing him to yelp in pain.

_'I don't know about making a battle more fun. But getting an opponent mad to make them careless in battle? That actually sounds like a good strategy,'_ thought Kairi as she blocked another slash from Mr. Starkey.

Throughout the entirety of the battle with the pirate, Kairi had been trying to find a way to defeat him without killing or hurting him too badly. Though she knew that even Sora had taken lives in battle, she didn't want to resort to that unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, this had kept her on the defensive and she had yet to make a single attack against Mr. Starkey.

"How pathetic! If that's the best you can do, girl, then you're better off giving up!" cackled the pirate as he raised his sword for another slash.

_'Maybe if I just hold back a little, this could work,'_ thought Kairi as she saw an opportunity and raised the tip of her Keyblade to the sky.

"Thunder!" she shouted causing a small bolt of lightning to shoot out of her Keyblade. It struck Mr. Starkey's sword like a lightning rod and shocked him into a daze.

'_Can't believe that worked!'_ thought Kairi.

Suddenly, Tink flew to Kairi's right ear. She tinkled while pointing in an upward direction. Kairi followed the fairy's instructions and looked up to see Bill Jukes swinging toward her on a rope while waving his sword.

But thanks to Tink's timely warning, Kairi ducked just before the deadly blade could take off her head. Jukes sailed past her and over the railing. Before he could swing back, Kairi threw her Keyblade at the rope, slicing through it and sending the short pirate falling into the water.

"You're doing pretty good, Kairi!" complemented Peter as he dodged another blow from the tattooed pirate.

"Thanks," said Kairi as she caught her Keyblade as it returned to her. She then turned her attention to Peter's fight with the tattooed pirate. Then she looked behind herself and what she saw gave her an idea.

"Tink, could you tell Peter something for me?" she asked as she turned to Tink who nodded in response.

Kairi whispered something to the fairy. After she finished, Tink flew to Peter's ear and whispered what Kairi had told her. Peter nodded in understanding.

Positioning himself between the tattooed pirate and Kairi, Peter stuck his thumbs in his ears, wiggled his fingers and mocked, "Hey, you big lug! Nah nah! You can't get me!"

That was the last straw for the tattooed pirate. With an enraged grunt, he charged at Peter like a bull.

But before he could lay his hands on the boy, Peter dodged to the right just as Kairi shouted, "Light!"

A bright blast of light emitted from her Keyblade blinding the pirate. Kairi and Peter then stuck their feet out and tripped him. The pirate careened headfirst into a cannon. The force caused the cannon to flip up and slam down on his head. He was knocked out cold.

"Alright! Your idea worked, Kairi!" exclaimed Peter.

"Yes. It actually did," said Kairi who could hardly believe it herself. She even had a hard time comprehending the fact that she had taken three opponents out of the battle. She felt a sense of pride in that accomplishment.

'_I can't believe I'm actually pulling this off. Glad all that training these last few months is paying off.'_

Kairi and Peter then scanned the deck and the ongoing battle. So far, it appeared to be going in their favor. The Lost Boys had incapacitated many of the pirates who were either out cold, tied up or knocked overboard. Pluto still had Smee cornered up the mast causing Kairi, Peter and Tink to laugh.

"Once we finish with the crew, then it'll be Hook's turn," said Peter.

"Peter, about fighting Hook. I'd like to…" Kairi didn't get to finish her request when she saw something awful happening.

Currently on a plank overlooking the edge of the ship was Toodles. He was being forced near the edge of it by Damien Salt.

"Peter!" shouted Kairi pointing in the direction of the Lost Boy in trouble.

"Huh?" asked Peter as he turned to look. But just as he did, he was suddenly lassoed with a rope pinning his arms to his sides. At the other end were a couple of pirates laughing wickedly. Peter struggled to get free as the pirates attempted to pull him to the deck.

"I'll get you free, Peter!" cried Kairi as she aimed her Keyblade to throw it and cut Peter free.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Kairi saw Mr. Starkey charging toward her. She quickly turned just in time to block his sword with her Keyblade. The pirate pushed her backward until she was up against the edge of the ship.

'_I guess I held back a little too much with that Thunder spell if he recovered so quickly from it.'_

"Tink! Go help Toodles!" she cried.

The fairy nodded and streaked across the deck. When she reached Salt, she immediately grabbed onto one end of his moustache and pulled it. The pirate stopped advancing on the Lost Boy and turned his attention to Tink, trying to swat her with his sword and free hand.

However, Salt had moved too far onto the plank. Even with Tink distracting him, there was no way for Toodles to get past him and back onto the ship.

"Slightly! Cubby!" Kairi called hoping that one of the other boys would hear her and help their comrade. But all of them were currently occupied with fighting their own opponents.

Mr. Starkey gave an evil grin. "Yer wasting your breath, girlie. I hope the sharks like the taste of skunk!" he cackled.

Finally, Salt sliced through his moustache with his cutlass sending Tinker Bell flying away from recoil. He then raised his cutlass and prepared to swipe it down on Toodles.

With no one to help him, it looked pretty bleak for the youngest member of Peter's crew. It looked like, for the first time, they were going to lose one of their own.

'_No! I can't let that happen! I won't let it happen!'_

Then, to the surprise of Mr. Starkey, Kairi's body began to glow with an ethereal white light. The light erupted into a blast sending him flying overboard.

In the blink of an eye, the princess then vanished into a streak of light. It travelled across the deck until it reached the plank. Kairi rematerialized directly in between Salt and Toodles just in time to block the pirate's attack with her Keyblade.

The pirate was stunned at Kairi's sudden appearance. But it was nothing compared to the princess's own surprise.

'_What just happened? How did I do that?'_

But realizing it would have to wait, she took advantage of the pirate's shock and leapt into action. She quickly used her Keyblade to knock Salt's cutlass out of his hand and then used the flat side of it to push him off the side of the plank. The pirate screamed as he splashed down into the water.

Kairi gave a sigh of relief and turned to the Lost Boy she just saved. "Are you all right, Toodles?"

The Lost Boy, as usual, said nothing. But with a big smile on his face, he hugged Kairi around the waist. Kairi smiled down at him.

"Great job, Kairi!" called Peter who was now flying above the water. He still had the rope tied around him with the two pirates who had been holding it now dangling from it.

"Let me give you a hand with those pirates, Peter," saidd Kairi as she threw Destiny's Embrace at the rope. The Keyblade sliced through the rope and the two pirates dropped down into the water like a stone.

"And that's the last of them!" announced Peter as he flew back to the ship and landed on the deck. Kairi, Tink and the Lost Boys gathered around him.

"Nice fight, everyone! I knew we'd win just like we always do," said Peter as Slightly and Cubby removed the rope from him.

"We may have won, Peter. But Toodles nearly walked the plank. Weren't you worried that he'd be hurt?" asked Kairi.

"Not at all. I knew he'd be fine. And he is, thanks to you and your incredible trick. You never mentioned you could do something like that. I never even saw Sora do something like that," said Peter.

"To tell you the truth, Peter, I have no idea where it came from," said Kairi who was still mystified about the mysterious power that enabled her to save Toodles.

"Smee? It's been far too long. Is the crocodile gone?" asked a familiar voice

The group turned in the direction of the voice. They saw that Captain Hook had finally emerged from his cabin. And upon seeing his crew incapacitated in many ways and his archenemy standing in the midst, his face contorted in anger.

"Smee! What happened?!" he demanded.

"Well, captain, it seems that while we were looking for the crocodile, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys snuck onto the ship and freed our prisoners. Then they attacked us with absolutely no provocation at all," said Smee as he continued to clutch onto the mast with Pluto growling below him.

"By the way, Hook, how'd you like the clock impressions we gave you? We've been working on them for quite some time. So good to know that they work because they certainly fooled you," said Peter smugly as the Lost Boys laughed.

"You mean I was tricked? Blast you, Pan! This be the last straw!" shouted Hook as he drew his sword.

"Come face me, boy! Today, we settle it once and for all!"

"You've said that so many times before. But I'm always happy to give you a fight so say your prayers, Hook!" shouted Peter as he drew his dagger and prepared to fly off to face the captain.

But before he could, Kairi held out an arm in front of him. "Wait, Peter. Let me fight him. One on one."

Peter and his crew gasped. "Are you sure about that, Kairi? The other pirates are easy opponents, but Hook is the best swordsman out of all of them. He won't be as easy to defeat," said Peter.

"I need to do this, Peter. Remember what you said about teaching Hook a lesson? About using friends as bait for other friends? I have to be the one to teach him that lesson. He really crossed a line when he captured me as bait for Sora and he needs to answer for that," said Kairi with determination.

"Kairi, I'm as mad about that as you are. But that doesn't mean you have to face Hook alone. Sora didn't even do that. Even if it was just you and me, we could beat him," said Peter.

"I know we could, Peter. But it's not just about that. It's also not just about teaching him a lesson," said Kairi.

"What do you mean?" asked Peter.

"I don't know what I am going to face on my journey. There may be worse enemies than Hook out there and I may not have anyone to help me. I need to know that I can hold my own in a fight against a major enemy and not just minor ones. It's the only way I can get stronger so I can find and save Sora. So, please Peter. Let me do this," pleaded Kairi.

"But Kairi, what if you lose?" asked Slightly.

"Then you won't be able to find your friend at all," said Nibs.

"I'm aware of what may happen, boys. But, unless I call for you or it looks like I am going to lose, none of are you are to help me in this fight."

Kairi then heard a whimper. She turned and saw Pluto approaching her with a worried look on his face.

"The same goes for you too, Pluto. So, can you all promise me you'll let me fight Hook on my own?"

Everyone looked reluctant to make that promise. Kairi couldn't blame them for that. Truthfully, she herself would never have wanted to watch a friend try something so risky even if they felt it was something that needed to be done.

Finally, Peter smiled and put his hand on Kairi's shoulder. "If it's that important to you, Kairi, then we'll stay out of it. We give you our word. Right, everybody?" he asked causing Tink, the Lost Boys, and Pluto to nod.

"There you go. We'll cheer you on from the sides then. But we'll be watching the fight and the moment you call for us or it looks like you need help, then we're jumping in no matter what."

Kairi looked at everyone surrounding her who were all nodding in agreement. She smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Peter. Thank you all."

"What keeping you, boy?! It's bad form to keep your opponent waiting," cried out Hook.

"Sounds like he's getting impatient. Better not keep him waiting any longer. Also, here's a little advice. Remember what I said about getting your opponent mad so they'll get sloppy in their fighting? Try it out on Hook. It's quite effective," said Peter.

"I'll keep that in mind," said Kairi.

"Go get him, Kairi!" cheered the Twins.

"Show him that no one messes with our friends!" exclaimed Nibs

"Knock him overboard!" exclaimed Slightly.

"But be careful. We don't want to see you get hurted," said Cubby.

Tink tinkled encouragingly while pumping her fist in the air.

Pluto let out several encouraging barks.

Toodles, silent as always, gave Kairi another hug around the waist. She smiled and patted him on the head before he let go.

With a grateful nod to everyone, Kairi made her way to the stairs that would take her up to where Hook was. Behind her, she heard the cheering, tinkling and barking of encouragement from her friends.

_'I guess I should be grateful the Wayfinder brought me to a world where I can put my skills to test against a relatively easy enemy. Compared to the likes of villains like Maleficent, the members of the Organization or Xehanort himself, Captain Hook is definitely not in the same league. Still, I'd better not take this battle lightly because the boys are right. I lose this fight and Sora's lost forever.'_

Kairi steeled herself for the upcoming duel with the pirate captain. Whether it would end in her first great triumph over a major opponent or in a disastrous defeat remained to be seen.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Hope I did a good job with the battle scene. Like I've said before, they're not easy to write and I'm sure other writers have the same struggle. I had to find some creative ways for the Lost Boys to participate in the battle because we never actually see them fighting the pirates in any of the Disney Peter Pan movies (apart from dropping stuff on the pirates from a crow's nest). Also, if you are wondering exactly where that strange ability that Kairi exhibited came from, you'll just have to keep reading because it will be explored later down the road. Next chapter, it's the boss battle: Kairi vs. Captain Hook. Will she defeat her first Disney Villain? You'll just have to come back to find out. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	15. Ch 13: Kairi vs Hook

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. This one needed some extra work. Place your bets people because the Princess of Heart is about to take on the most infamous pirate in Never Land. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 13: Kairi vs. Hook**

**Never Land**

"What is this? Has me hostage come to surrender herself? I must commend you on making a wise choice," said Hook as Kairi climbed up to his level.

"I'm not surrendering, Captain Hook. I've come to fight you myself," said Kairi.

"You?!" exclaimed Hook with surprise.

"Yes. You, Hook, are the latest in a too long list of villains who have tried to use me to get at Sora and now you are going to answer for that!" declared Kairi pointing at the captain.

Hook laughed mockingly. "You cannot be serious, my dear. How in all of Never Land could you expect to best me, the most dreaded pirate to ever sail the seven seas?"

Then they heard Smee call out from his place on the mast, "Captain! There's something you must know about her! She has a…"

Before Smee could finish his statement, Kairi provided the end herself. To Hook's shock, she summoned Destiny's Embrace to her hand.

"A Keyblade?!" exclaimed Hook.

"Surprised, Hook? You said that you learned I had come to Never Land when you investigated a fireball that came from Mermaid Lagoon. It just so happens that I was the one who cast that spell when the mermaids were playing too rough with me. Never occurred to you, did it?" asked Kairi with sly smile on her face.

Hook shook off his shock and regained his composure. "I had a hard time believing that whatever forces bestow those weapons on their wielders would choose someone like your friend Sora. But that you would have one yourself? The idea is as ridiculous as the design of your Keyblade."

"And just what is wrong with the design of my Keyblade?" asked Kairi in an offended tone.

"Plenty I'm afraid. The flowery design practically tells me that of all the Keyblade wielders I've met, you are probably the last person who should have one," taunted Hook.

With every continuing second in his presence, Kairi was growing more displeased with the pirate. _'How dare he not only insult my Keyblade but also insist that I should never have gotten the ability to wield it in the first place. But I'll show him. Even though Aqua may have given me the ability to wield it by accident, I will prove that I am worthy of it.'_

"I think we've talked long enough. Shall we get on with the fight now?" asked Kairi.

"Very well. If you've a taste for cold steel, then I shall not deny you it any longer. Insolent girl, prepare to meet thy doom!" shouted Hook as he charged at Kairi who charged at him at the same time.

In an instant, Kairi's Keyblade and Hook's sword clashed in a loud clang that echoed throughout the entire ship. Their duel had finally begun.

As they moved around the deck of the Jolly Roger, the pirate captain slashed at her with his sword. Kairi blocked every blow that came at her with her Keyblade.

In addition to Hook's sword, she also had to watch out for his hook. Often when their weapons were crossed, Hook would swipe it at her head although she was able to duck and avoid it every time. Between the two different weapons, Kairi found herself unable to get an attack of her own in.

_'Peter wasn't kidding when he said that Hook was a more difficult opponent than his crew. He's great not only with his sword but also using that hook. What I would give to be able to dual wield like Sora or Roxas. That would really come in handy during this fight,'_ thought Kairi as she continued to protect herself from Hook's attacks.

"Give it to her, captain! Cleave her to the brisket!" called out Smee.

As she fought, Kairi realized that she was at a tremendous disadvantage against the pirate compared to when Sora had fought him. Hook may have been a more mundane foe compared to the likes of Jafar, Ursula or the many powerful Heartless her friend had fought and defeated. But when Sora had faced Hook, he not only had the help of Donald, Goofy and Peter, but he had also learned how to fly.

Kairi was almost tempted to call out for Peter and the others' help against the pirate. But then she remembered why she had chosen to face Hook alone.

_'This battle may be tough. But there may be tougher ones ahead and if I can't even win this fight, then I have no right to be on this journey. For Sora, I must win!'_

"Is this really the best you can do? Because if it is, I'm sorely disappointed," taunted Hook.

Kairi racked her brain trying to think of strategy. _'If I can't get through with regular attacks, maybe some magic will help. I could try the same trick I did when I was fighting the other pirate and this time, I won't hold back as much.'_

After Hook's latest attack, Kairi rolled away from him. Upon recovery, she pointed her Keyblade upward and shouted, "Thunder!"

A Thunder spell emitted from the tip of Destiny's Embrace and shot toward Hook's sword. But to her dismay, the pirate simply dodged to the side and avoided the blast.

"Thought you could catch this captain off guard with a little magic, did you? Well, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, my dear. I've made it a point to keep me eye out for any magic tricks you Keyblade wielders may try to use. An Eton educated mind such as meself knows how to learn from previous defeats," said Hook as he resumed his attack on Kairi.

_'How am I going to win this fight? He's too good a swordsman so I can't get a physical attack in and he's also on the watch for my magic attacks. If only I could summon that power that I saved Toodles with. But I still have no idea how I did that in the first place._'

On the sidelines, Peter and the others watched Kairi and Hook's duel. So far, no victory for either seemed imminent. But it did seem that Hook had the upper hand.

"Can't we just help her, Pan?" asked Slightly with the rest of the Lost Boys, Tink, and Pluto nodding in agreement.

"No. We gave our word. We'll only help her if she asks for it or if it looks like she's going to lose. And right now, neither of those has happened," said Peter.

"But she's not winning either!" pointed out the Twins.

"Yeah. She needs us!" exclaimed Cubby.

"Right now, what Kairi needs is our faith and trust and we're going to make sure she has it. I may not like it. But I'm choosing to believe in our friend, and you should too. Right?," asked Peter.

The others said nothing. But simply nodded.

Peter then turned his attention back to the fight. _'I know you can win this, Kairi. Just believe in yourself like we believe in you!'_

Suddenly, the duel took an unexpected turn. Taking advantage of an opening, Hook plowed into Kairi and pushed her backwards. He pinned her up against a wall and held his sword against her throat.

Kairi struggled to get free. _'No! No! I can't lose this!'_

"This duel is over, and the victory is mine! I wish I could say that you provided me with some mild entertainment, my dear. But, in all honesty, I find your skills with that Keyblade of yours to be quite lacking. As I said before, it was clearly a mistake of its behalf to ever consider someone like you worthy. You're nothing like Sora or any of the other wielders I've faced in battle and you never will be!"

Kairi gave a defiant look to the pirate. "You're wrong, Hook! No matter how long it takes, I will prove that I am worthy of my Keyblade. And when I bring Sora back, then I'll know for sure that I am!"

"A bold declaration. But unfortunately, you are not long for this world. Farewell, Kairi. When you see Sora on the other side, tell him that Captain James Hook is responsible for reuniting you with him," said Hook as he raised his namesake in preparation to use it on the princess.

But before he could finish Kairi off, Tink suddenly darted in front of his face. Reaching up, she grabbed the brim of his hat and pulled it down over his eyes.

"Blasted fairy!" he yelled as he blindly swiped his Hook in wild strokes at Tink who dodged every one of them.

Thanks to Tink's intervention, Hook's grip on Kari had loosened. Wasting no time, she crouched downward just as a wild swipe from Hook came down and embedded his hook in the wall right where her head had been.

Hook dropped his sword and pulled his hat back. When he saw where his hook had ended up, he bellowed, "Blast this hook!"

While Hook fought to free himself, Kairi shot a grateful smile to Tink who was now flying right beside her. "Thanks, Tink. You really helped me out there," she said causing the fairy to smile back as she flew back to the others.

Kairi then looked over to where Peter, the Lost Boys and Pluto had been watching the duel. They looked like they wanted to know if they were going to be allowed to help her now.

_'That was a pretty close call. Maybe I should let them help me out now.'_

Kairi was about to call to them. But then her attention was diverted as she listened to Hook's angry rants as he continued to try and pull his hook free.

An idea surged through her mind. _'Maybe I can turn this fight to my advantage after all,'_ realized Kairi as a sly smile came to her face.

Finally, Hook pulled himself free. After brushing the wood remains off of his hook, he picked up his sword and turned around to face Kairi.

"You should have taken advantage of me temporary incapacitation and fled, girl!"

"Now why would I want to do that, Hook? We still have a duel to finish," said Kairi in a smug tone.

"Don't think that fairy's meddling is going to have any affect on the outcome at all! One way or another, I will triumph!" declared Hook.

At that point, Kairi and Hook resumed their duel. But now she had a plan and was about to put it into action.

"You know, Hook, your whole revenge plot against Sora; it's kind of pointless. Why seek payback against someone you never had a chance of beating in the first place?" asked Kairi as they crossed weapons again.

A flash of anger crossed Hook's eyes. "What was that?!"

_'Aha! I see I struck a nerve in him. Let's see if I can strike even more.'_

"Let's think about this logically. Before Sora even arrived in Never Land, he had already fought and defeated a whole lot worse than you. He beat an all-powerful genie, a gigantic sea witch and many strong varieties of Heartless just to name a few. Compared to all of that, a one-handed pirate really is the least threatening opponenet."

"Silence!" roared Hook.

"The hard truth, Hook, is that you were never a true threat to Sora at all. And if he were here now, it would just have the same result as every single fight you've had with Peter: you'd lose!" said Kairi.

Peter had overheard everything Kairi had just told Hook and a smile came to his face. _'That's it, Kairi! Get him mad! It's never been too hard to do!'_

"Look at Hook!" exclaimed Nibs.

"He's getting pretty steamed!" exclaimed Slightly.

Indeed, Kairi's taunts had turned the pirate captain into a volcano on the verge of eruption. Hook's face was reddened with anger. If it were possible, steam could have been coming out of his ears.

"Pay attention, men! This is when the fun really begins," said Peter.

"I'LL SHOW YOU JUST HOW THREATENING I CAN BE, GIRL!" roared Hook

Losing any pretense of strategy, the enraged pirate charged at Kairi while waving his sword wildly. Kairi backed away as she avoided the pirate's attacks.

_'That's it, Hook. You just keep attacking wildly and just not pay any attention to what I might do,'_ thought Kairi as she continued to evade Hook's attacks.

Finally, it was time to make her move. Kairi stopped in her tracks. But before Hook could hit her with his sword, she raised her Keyblade and shouted "Defense!"

A protective barrier conjured around Kairi just as Hook's sword made contact. When it struck the barrier, he was immediately blown backward by the knockback effect of the Reflect magic.

Taking advantage of Hook's momentary disorientation, Kairi charged at the pirate. Aiming at his sword, she swung her Keyblade upward and knocked it out of his hand. The sword flew over the side of the ship and splashed down in the water.

Hook stared at his hand. He couldn't believe what had just happened. But he had no time to react as Kairi charged in.

Now that her opponent was partially disarmed, Kairi unleashed a flurry of attacks on Hook with her Keyblade. He grunted in pain from each strike. They were almost as wild as his own enraged ones. But Kairi took care to only attack with the flat of her Keyblade as she didn't want to seriously hurt or mortally wound him.

Finally, she backed off and looked the pirate over. He had taken so much punishment from her that he looked like he could collapse at anytime.

"Had enough, Hook?"

Hook shook off his exhaustion and growled in anger. He charged at Kairi with his hook raised.

But before he could strike her with it, Kairi raised her Keyblade. To his surprise, she caught the hook in the teeth part of it.

"I guess not. You know, you really ought to watch that temper of yours. It'll only get you into trouble like this, for example," she said as she summoned all her strength and pulled Hook off his balance. She swung him around her and then slammed him face first into one of the masts.

Kairi unsummoned her Keyblade and pumped her fist. "Yes! I can't believe that worked!"

Hook pulled away from the mast. He now had a goofy grin on his face and started to stumble around the deck while babbling incoherently.

"Captain! Wake up or you're going to lose the fight!" shouted Smee.

"Peter! Pluto! Tink! Boys!" called Kairi causing everyone to run up to her. All of them looked confused.

"Why are you calling us now, Kairi?" asked Peter.

"Yeah, you were doing so very good on your own," said Cubby.

"I know I was. But I think this fight's gone on long enough and it's time to end it. And what better way to finish a fight than for all of us to do it together?" asked Kairi causing everyone's eyes to light up with excitement.

"You mean that?" asked Slightly.

"Of course. After all, he's your enemy. Wouldn't be right to not let you get a few shots in. So, what do you say? Would you all care to help me finish him off?"

In response, Peter and the boys cheered, Tink tinkled and Pluto barked. They were all on board.

"Sounds like fun, Kairi. So, how are we going to finish off the old codfish?" asked Peter.

"Glad you asked. What I have in mind is a little something I'd like to call Team Attack: Eternal Youth. Everyone here has a small but important part to play in it. Once I tell each of you your parts, you'll all get into position and await my command. If we pull this off, we should defeat Hook in the one of the most spectacular ways he's ever been beaten. But let's hurry or he'll recover before I have the chance to tell all of you what you need to do," said Kairi as she gathered everyone into a huddle.

As the group conversed, Smee, still up in his spot on the mast, put a hand to his ear in an attempt to listen to what they were saying. But then Pluto flashed him an angry look causing him to pull his hat over his eyes and plug his ears with his fingers.

* * *

A short while later, a splash of water hit Hook in the face. He sputtered as he snapped out of his daze. Once he regained his composure, he angrily looked around for Kairi.

To his surprise, there was no sign of her, Peter or any of their friends. There was only an empty bucket in front of him, which clearly had been used to wake him. But there was no sign of who had used it.

"Where did they all go?"

"Now, everybody!" called Kairi's voice startling Hook whose eyes darted around in search of her location.

"Captain! Look out!" called Smee.

"Huh? YEOW!" shouted Hook as Pluto bit him in the rear.

Pluto let go just as Hook whirled around and shot an angry look at the dog. "Scurvy cur!"

Suddenly, from the sides came Cubby and Nibs. Cubby slammed his club onto Hook's right foot while, at the same time, Nibs smacked his wooden sword on Hook's left knee causing him to scream in pain.

Next, from behind, the Twins used their blowguns and shot Hook's hat clear off his head. At the same time, Slightly used what appeared to be a cross between a slingshot and a rifle to fire a stone into Hook's back. The captain's screams increased.

After that, Toodles ran in front of Hook. Capping off the Lost Boys' attack, he shot a small stone into Hook's forehead using a slingshot. After that, he and the rest of the Lost Boys ran away from the screaming pirate.

After a few moments, Hook recovered from the pain only to see Tink flying toward his face. Pulling back her leg, she thrust it forward and kicked Hook in the chin. She then started making goofy faces at the pirate.

"Accursed pixie!" shouted Hook as he raised his hook.

Suddenly, Peter flew above Hook holding Kairi by her sides. Once again, she snared the hook in the teeth of her Keyblade.

"Hang on tight, Hook! You're coming for a ride!" exclaimed Peter as Hook was yanked right off the deck and into the air.

Dragging the screaming pirate behind them, Kairi and Peter quickly flew in circles around the ship. They went for at least ten revolutions before they finally stopped.

Kairi smiled down at the pirate dangling from her Keyblade. "Did you enjoy your ride, Hook?"

"Wretched wench! Release me immediately" yelled Hook.

Kairi traded a knowing look with Peter. "Is that what you really want?"

"Yes. I demand you release me this instant!"

"Whatever you say, Hook," said Kairi with a shrug of her shoulders as she unsummoned her Keyblade and released him.

Hook fell screaming downward. He landed on his rear end right on the plank. The plank bent under the captain's weight, then sprang upward sending him into the air and eventually splashing down in the water.

Peter brought Kairi back to the deck of the Jolly Roger and they ran to the edge of the ship. Pluto, Tink and the Lost Boys gathered around them. Leaning on the railing, they all laughed as they watched Hook struggle to stay afloat.

"Always nice to see a codfish back in the water where he belongs!" exclaimed Peter causing everyone else to laugh.

"I'll get you for this, Pan! And you too, Kairi! If it's the last thing I do!" yelled Hook.

Kairi turned to Peter and asked, "How many times have you heard that before?"

"Eh too many to count. But I never get tired of hearing it," said Peter.

"Mark me words! You both will pay! And Sora will too! And those other Keyblade Wielders I tangled with long ago!" ranted Hook from the water.

Hook's last statement brought a look of surprise to Kairi's face. _'I really need to learn what Terra, Aqua and Ven were up to when they came here.'_

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Peter's grin got wider. "I say, Captain? Do you hear something?"

Hook scoffed. "If you believe that I will fall for your childish tricks twice in the same day, you are sorely mistaken!"

The group on the Jolly Roger said nothing. But knowing smiles were on the faces of Peter, Tink and the Lost Boys. Kairi, however, had an expression that almost looked concerned.

Then Hook realized something: the ticking was not coming from any of them. In fact, it was coming from right behind him.

Hook slowly turned himself around and let out a scream of horror. Directly behind him, wearing a hungry grin on his toothy mouth, was the crocodile.

"Smee!" cried out Hook as the giant reptile lunged at him with his mouth opened wide.

"I'll save you, Captain!" shouted Smee's voice.

Everyone turned around and saw that Smee had finally climbed down off the mast. He rushed toward one of the lifeboats and lowered it to the water.

As everyone watched from the Jolly Roger, Hook swiftly swam away from the ship toward the horizon with the crocodile snapping at his heels. Smee rowed as quickly as he could to catch up to them.

"He'll be okay, will he, Peter?" asked Kairi who, in spite of everything Hook had done to her, didn't wish for him to become a meal for the crocodile.

"He'll be fine. This happens all the time to him and he always gets away. But Kairi, you shouldn't worry too much about it. Instead, let's talk about how amazing you were!" exclaimed Peter.

Suddenly, Kairi felt an unusual weight on top of her head. She looked up and saw Hook's hat. She turned around and saw that the Twins and Toodles had climbed onto each other's shoulders to place it on her head.

"Hooray for Captain Kairi!" cried out Peter and the Lost Boys among Tink's joyful tinkling and Pluto's barking.

Now that the battle against Hook and his pirates was over, Kairi finally took in what she had just accomplished. _'I just can't believe it. I did it. I actually fought a bad guy and won!'_

As she gazed out toward the horizon and listened to the adoring cheers of her friends, the Princess of Heart felt proud of herself for the first time in a long time.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__The battle is finally over, and our Princess stands victorious. Feel free to cheer! You know, one of my favorite parts of the Kingdom Hearts series has always been the Summons, Limits and Team Attacks. They're pretty fun to watch and do. But just how do Sora and the friends he's just met pull them off without any practice? Video game logic I suppose. But I hope to work in a Team Attack for Kairi and whoever she's with in every world. Only two more chapters in Never Land left (one being the KLOD (Kairi's Letter of Departure) chapter) and then it's onto the next world. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	16. Ch 14: For When She Returns

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! Here we have some more friendship moments between Kairi and the Never Land crew and the addition of another plot device of my own making. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 14: For When She Returns**

**Never Land**

A short while later, Kairi, Peter and the rest of their group had returned to the hideout. Currently, Kairi was sitting down with Pluto's head in her lap and Hook's hat still on her head. Peter sat in mid-air nearby with Tink on his shoulder. They were watching the Lost Boys run around the hideout as they talked about and re-enacted their favorite parts of the battle.

"Did you see the look on Hook's face when Kairi knocked his sword out of his hand?" asked Nibs as he knocked a wooden sword out of Slightly's hand with one of his own

"That's nothing! The look after she smashed him into the mast was so funny!" laughed Cubby as he made a close approximation of the goofy look Hook had worn.

The Twins dragged Toodles across the floor by his hand while the youngest Lost Boy pretended to scream with no sound. Clearly, he thought the sound of Hook's screaming as he was dragged through the air by Kairi and Peter was the most memorable thing.

"She really gave Hook what he had comin' to him!" said Slightly.

"And it was so much fun when we all sent Hook overboard together!" exclaimed the Twins.

As she listened to the boys, Kairi chuckled to herself. _'I can't believe how much energy these boys have even after that battle. I'm getting tired just watching them.'_

Peter laughed. "Well, they're certainly going to be talking about this for awhile. You know, Kairi, before you showed up, it was getting pretty boring around Never Land. But you coming here sure led to some much-needed excitement for us. I can't remember the last time we had this much fun fighting Hook and the pirates. It is going to be hard to top it the next time though. But we'll surely try."

Kairi shook her head amusedly. _'I can't believe he's actually looking forward to the next fight. But I guess that's just how it is for these boys. Oh! I almost forgot.'_

"Peter? Thank you for coming to save me when the pirates got me."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You didn't think I was going to leave you in Hook's clutches like that, were you?" asked Peter.

Kairi hung her head. "Actually, after how I yelled at all of you earlier, I wasn't actually expecting you to come."

"Oh, come on, Kairi. Don't you even think that. We would've come for you no matter what," said Peter as Tink nodded in agreement.

After hearing those words, Kairi reflected on how her initial viewpoint of Peter had changed since the battle. While it was true that he could be pretty immature and thoughtless at times, he was also brave and very loyal to the people he cared about.

_'Funny. Now that I'm seeing Peter's better qualities, he kind of reminds me of Sora. They do have a lot in common. Even the immature moments.'_

"Still, I shouldn't have been that hard on all of you for playing around with my Wayfinder. You didn't know how important it was. Normally, I don't get that angry with other people if all they're guilty of is not knowing something. But ever since losing Sora and fighting with my other friends, I just haven't felt like myself. Still, that's no excuse for how I acted and for that, I am sorry," said Kairi sadly.

"Well, we may have gone a little too far ourselves. If we knew how you needed it to find Sora, we never would have messed around with it. Right Tink?" asked Peter causing the fairy to nod guiltily for starting the keepaway game with the Wayfinder.

"But you were wrong about one thing, Kairi."

Kairi looked puzzled. "I was? About what?"

"About me not knowing what it's like to miss someone. Because as it turns out, there is someone I miss very much," said Peter.

"Who?" inquired Kairi.

"Wendy," said Peter with a little sadness in his voice.

"Oh," said Kairi recalling Peter's friend who lived outside of Never Land. "How long has it been since you last saw her?"

"Well, the last time I saw her was after I rescued her from Hook along with Sora, Donald and Goofy."

"That was over a year ago. And you haven't been to see her since? Don't you know where to find her?"

"Of course, I do. I could never forget where to find her. Her home in London was very special to me because she and her brothers believed in me. I would always visit there because I loved to listen to her stories about me and then I would come back here and tell them again to the boys," said Peter happily.

Then he became a little serious. "Then one night, I learned Wendy was going to grow up and leave her nursery. That would mean no more stories and I couldn't let that happen. So, I brought her and her brothers here where she could be our mother and tell us stories all the time."

_'I bet she didn't know what she was getting into,'_ thought Kairi. "So, what happened?"

"She was excited at first. But for some reason, after only one day here, she decided she wanted to leave and grow up after all. I never understood why," said Peter.

'_If her experiences in Never Land were anything like my own, I can't say that I blame her,'_ thought Kairi.

"Even though I didn't like it, I did end up bringing her and her brothers home after saving them from Hook," said Peter.

"You did a good thing respecting her wishes like that, Peter. But that still doesn't explain why you haven't gone back to see her. I'm sure she would love to see you again so why not?" asked Kairi.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just afraid to," said Peter looking away from the princess.

Kairi was shocked. "The great Peter Pan is actually afraid of something?"

"Hard to believe, huh? You see, Kairi, I'm afraid that if I ever did go back there, she wouldn't be the same. She'll probably have grown up and forgotten all about me and Never Land forever," said Peter.

Kairi gave Peter a gentle smile. "That could never happen, Peter."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know for a fact that growing up doesn't always mean forgetting who and what was important to you when you were young. Take me for example. The most treasured memories I have are of my childhood days that I spent on the islands with my friends. And I'll always carry those memories forever because they'll always be there to carry me through the harder times that come with growing up. I imagine that Wendy will always look back and remember her times with you the same way as she grows up. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if when she has children of her own, she'll be telling your stories to them and they'll do the same for their own. In that way, you'll always be a part of her life no matter what," said Kairi.

'_Almost like a paopu fruit bond,'_ Kairi added to herself.

Peter reflected for a moment on Kairi's words. He then recalled what Wendy had called out to him as he sailed away into the night after he brought her home.

'_I'll always believe in you, Peter Pan!'_

'_Maybe she really will,'_ he thought as a smile came to his face.

He then turned back to Kairi. "Heh. When you put it that way, maybe growing up isn't so bad after all."

"Think you'd want to give it a try?" asked Kairi in a tone that indicated she wasn't asking it seriously.

Going along with the joke, Peter pretended to think. "Mmmm. Nah. It may be for you and for Wendy and everyone else. But this is the life the boys and I chose and it's what we will always want."

"I thought as much," said Kairi with a laugh. "But trust me when I say that Wendy would never forget you. I mean, who could?"

"I am pretty memorable, aren't I?" Peter said in his usual smug tone causing Kairi to shake her head in amusement.

"Thanks, Kairi. You know what? Maybe I will go see her. Maybe we all will because I know the boys miss her too. Even Tink does, although she won't admit it," said Peter.

Kairi and Peter looked at Tink who turned away from them. Unbeknownst to them, she was hiding a small look of excitement at the prospect of seeing their old friend.

"If there's one thing I've learned, Peter, it's that you should try to have as much time with the people most important to you," said Kairi before she hung her head down again.

'_Because you never know when you won't be able to.'_

Tink floated over to Kairi's face, put her hands under her chin and gently lifted her head up. Kairi's eyes gazed at Tink and Peter who were smiling at her.

"You're going to find him, Kairi. We know you are," said Peter.

"You sound so sure."

"I am. Because when I first met Sora, he was so happy that he had finally found you. Sounded to me like he had been looking for you for quite some time. So, I'm sure you'll be able to do the same. I believe that no matter what, you two will always find each other," said Peter.

Tink made a tinkling sound indicating she believed it as well. At the same time, Pluto gave a bark showing he too concurred. This brought a smile to Kairi's face.

Suddenly, a bright glow illuminated the hideout. Everyone's eyes, including the Lost Boys' gazed around for the source. Finally, they find out.

The glow was coming from the Wayfinder. It glowed for about a minute before it stopped.

"What was that about, Kairi?" asked Slightly.

"Yeah. Why did the thing on your neck lighted up like that?" asked Cubby.

Kairi held the Wayfinder in her hand. She knew what the glow meant, and she had been wondering when it would. But she was now confused on why it had happened now.

_'The woman in my dream said that when it glowed, then it would be time to move onto the next world of my journey. But what did I do to make it glow?'_

Putting aside her ponderings, Kairi answered the boys' questions, "It means it's time for Pluto and me to go."

At the end of Kairi's words, the Lost Boys' faces fell. They now looked like they were on the verge of crying.

"You're leaving?" asked Cubby.

"But we were just starting to have fun together," said Slightly.

Toodles wrapped his arms around Kairi's waist. His face wore a look of pleading as he silently begged her not to go.

Kairi gave the youngest Lost Boy a pat on the head. "I'm sorry, boys. As much as I'd love to stay and have fun with all of you, I can't right now. It's time for me to move onto wherever I have to be next on my journey to find Sora. You understand, don't you?"

Unfortunately, Kairi's words didn't improve the boys' moods. They still looked like they would break down in tears at any minute.

"Come on, men! What do I always say? Never let'em see you cry," said Peter.

At the end of Peter's words, the Lost Boys scampered away to other areas of the hideout. Once they were completely out of sight of Kairi and Peter, they immediately started bawling.

Kairi, amused as she was at the literal interpretation of Peter's saying, reached out sympathetically. "Come on, boys. I may be saying goodbye now. But it's a not a forever goodbye. I plan to come back."

The boys came back into view. But they didn't look very reassured.

"Couldn't we come with you?" asked Nibs.

"We're great at finding things. You saw how we finded the treasure," said Cubby.

"Yeah. With all of us, we could find your friend in no time," said Slightly.

"I'm sorry, boys. Not that I wouldn't mind your company, but this journey I'm on could be too dangerous for all of you. You're better off staying here where you'll be safe."

As she saw the disappointed looks on the boys' faces, Kairi couldn't help but reflect on how she had been in a similar position. _'This is just like when I wanted to go back with Sora to Hollow Bastion after we escaped. I may not have liked it at the time. But looking back now, I probably would have just been in the way even if I knew I could wield a Keyblade then.'_

"This is really for the best, boys. I do wish there was a way to bring you all along," said Kairi.

Then, to everyone's surprise, a ball of golden light formed in front of Kairi. Everyone shielded their eyes until the light died down.

When they uncovered them, they saw a strange card hovering in the air in front of the Princess of Heart. With caution, Kairi reached out and grabbed it out of the air.

The moment she took the card in her hand, an odd feeling came over her. She felt like the card contained some kind of magical power.

Kairi took in the card's details. It was shaped like a heart with a three-pronged crown on the top of it. It had a golden border surrounding a picture of what appeared to be Never Land, as seen from a Gummi Ship.

Then Kairi heard Tink tinkling something. She looked at the fairy and saw that she was pointing to the back of the card. Kairi turned it over and gasped.

On the other side of the card was a picture of Peter, Tink and the Lost Boys. The picture was very unusual because all the people within it were moving like a video. They were all smiling and waving as if they could see her.

'_Where did this card come from? Did the Wayfinder create it? And if so, what's it for?"_ wondered Kairi.

"Where did that come from, Kairi?" asked Peter echoing Kairi's thoughts and snapping her out of them.

"I wish I knew. I can't explain but it feels like this card has some kind of power though I don't know what exactly. It looks like my journey has another mystery for me to solve," she responded before smiling. "But if anything, I'll be able to look at this card, which I think I'll call a Memento Card from now on, and always remember the first group of new friends I made on my journey. So, I guess, in a way, I will be taking you all with me."

"But you're still coming back, right?" asked the Twins.

Kairi stowed the Memento Card away in her pocket and said, "Of course, I am. And when I come back, I'll have Sora with me. You'll all finally get to meet him. Also, I'm sure we'll have plenty of incredible stories to share with all of you. Would you like that?"

Excited smiles slowly appeared on the Lost Boys' faces. Clearly, the idea of new stories was enough to raise their spirits.

"Now how about a goodbye hug?" asked Kairi as she knelt down and opened up her arms.

The Lost Boys immediately rushed up to her. Once they reached her, they surrounded her in a giant group hug.

After embracing for a few minutes, Kairi broke away from the Lost Boys. She then reached up and took Hook's hat off of her head and handed it to Slightly causing all of the Lost Boys to look puzzled.

"Why are you giving us this, Kairi?" asked Slightly.

"Yeah, we'd thought you'd want to keep it, so you'll always remember the time you beat Hook," said Nibs.

"I knew that, boys. It is indeed a reminder of something I'd like to keep remembering. So, that's why I'm trusting you all to keep this in a special place. Maybe in your treasure chest?" she asked causing the boys' grins to return.

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed the Twins.

"Now we'll always remember the fun time we had together!" exclaimed Cubby.

"Thanks, Kairi!" exclaimed all the Lost Boys.

"You're welcome. I'm really going to miss all of you."

Then she felt something around her waist. She looked down and saw that Toodles was giving her one more hug as well s his usual sweet smile.

Kairi chuckled. "Especially you, Toodles."

Then, as Toodles released her waist, Kairi heard a tinkling. She turned in the direction and saw Tink hovering in front of her.

"I know you're not too fond of having other girls around, Tink. But I'm glad that didn't stop you from getting help for me or coming to my aid during the duel. I'll never forget that. Thank you," said Kairi.

In response, the fairy flew up to Kairi's face and nuzzled her nose with her own. Kairi giggled in response.

"Kairi?" asked Peter causing her to turn to him.

"I just thought of something. Before you go, would you like to try flying again? Maybe the happy thought of winning against Hook will be the one that'll finally keep you up," said Peter.

Kairi considered Peter's offer. It was true that her first real victory against a major villain had brought happiness to her. If she tried to fly again, there may have been a chance that she would succeed.

Still, there was something that was keeping her from accepting.

"Peter, it would be great to try to fly again and maybe it would work now. But I think I'll save it for when I come back. It's like you told me: Sora wanted to take me flying when we came here together. So, if you don't mind, I think I'll put off trying to fly again when I came back with him. Then I'll know for sure it'll work," said Kairi.

"Well, okay then. I just wish I could give you more help because I'm sure it's what Sora would want me to do."

"You've already done plenty for me, Peter. I'm very grateful and I'm sure Sora would be too for helping me out during my visit here," said Kairi as she moved in to give Peter a hug.

But before she could wrap her arms around him, she felt something tugging at the hood of her outfit and holding her back. She turned her head and saw Tink was the one responsible.

"Really, Tink?" asked Kairi with an amused smile causing Tink to return it with one of her own before saying something in her tinkling sound.

"What did she say?" asked Kairi.

Peter chuckled and said, "She said, 'Alright. Just this once.'"

Tink released Kairi and allowed her to hug Peter. After a few moments, they parted with smiles on their faces.

"Kairi, I think I speak for all of us when I say we look forward to your return. We can't wait to hear all your stories especially the one about you finding Sora. I know it's going to be a good one."

"And when Sora and I come back here, I hope you'll tell us a few stories yourself. Like about the other Keyblade Wielders you've met: Terra, Ventus and Aqua," said Kairi.

"Oh! You know them?" asked a surprised Peter causing Kairi to nod. "Well, how about that? Its been so long since they came to Never Land. In fact, I hadn't thought about them until after I met Sora and saw he had one of those Keyblades like they did."

Then Tink chimed in. She tinkled a great many things causing Peter to look surprised.

"What?! Tink, you met another person with a Keyblade and didn't tell me?" he exclaimed.

The surprise spread to Kairi. "She did?!"

"Yes. According to Tink, he actually looked like Ven. But the strange thing was that it actually felt like being around Sora. And even more strange, he was dressed in a black coat like those bad guys who captured you. But Tink says he didn't seem like a bad guy like they were. Same with his friend: a guy with wild spiky red hair," said Peter.

Kairi's surprise increased. "Roxas and Axel were here too?!"

"You know them too?"

"Yes. Wow. I can't believe that how many other Keyblade Wielders have come to Never Land but also that I know them all," said Kairi.

"Well, Tink and I will be glad to tell you and Sora everything about them when you get back, Kairi. Especially the other two which I had no idea until now," said Peter shooting an annoyed look at the fairy causing her to sheepishly grin.

"I look forward to it, Peter. Now I think it's time I got going. Come on, Pluto," said Kairi as she walked toward the exit of the hideout with her canine companion trailing behind her.

Before they began to ascend the staircase to the outside, she turned around and said, "Bye, everyone! Until we meet again!"

"Goodbye, Kairi!" exclaimed Peter and the Lost Boys with Tink tinkling her goodbyes.

As the girl and the dog climbed up the stairs to the outside, they could still here the various shouts and calls. They were all wishes of good luck and hope for her return.

Then she heard Peter's voice call out, "Kairi, don't forget: if you ever to need to find your way back to us, just head for the second star to the right and straight on 'til morning!"

'_I will, Peter. And I will be back. With Sora.'_

"Oh! And when you see the other Keyblade Wielders Tink and I have met, tell them we said hi!"

"I will!" she called back although, despite her curiosity about the others' adventures in Never Land, the thought of the last time they were together still stoked an angry feeling in her.

'_At least, I will once they admit they were wrong in wanting to give up on Sora.'_

But Kairi couldn't dwell on that. Right now, all she wanted to do was find a spot in Never Land to write a letter to Sora. After that, then it truly would be time for her to move onto her next destination.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__So, what is the deal with this mysterious card that just appeared out of nowhere? Well, the answer is same one regarding that mysterious power that Kairi showed two chapters ago: you'll just have to keep reading to find out! Next one is the Letter of Departure chapter which, due to being a short one, will be up by the week's end. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	17. Ch 15: KLOD 2: Never Land

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! Not really much to say but this is the final chapter of Never Land. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 15: Kairi's Letter of Departure #2: Never Land**

**Never Land**

_Dear Sora,_

_ Of all the worlds for the Wayfinder to bring me to first on my journey to find you, who would've thought that it would bring me to Never Land, the home of Peter Pan?_

_ It's quite a beautiful place, Sora. It's unfortunate that the most you, Donald, and Goofy saw of it was the inside of Captain Hook's pirate ship._

_ Also, in addition to properly meeting Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, who already knew who I was due to having been among your summon spells, I met a few people you haven't. They're a group of boys in animal suits known as the Lost Boys. Much like Peter, they too never wish to grow up and spend their eternally youthful lives just having fun and adventures._

_ Unfortunately, Sora, I'm sorry to say that it didn't go very easily as I would have liked here in Never Land. _

_First, I met a group of mermaids who were nothing like your friend Ariel. Their idea of fun was trying to drown me. _

_Then, when I first ran into the Lost Boys, they attacked me thinking I was a pirate trying to steal from them. Peter stopped them but then I had to put up with their childish behavior in addition to Peter's insensitivity and Tink's jealousy. It was not something I wanted to deal with on top of trying to find you._

_ The worst part truly began when Peter tried to teach me how to fly. Ever since I felt you do it during the time I was within your heart, I've wanted to try it for myself and it would've also been a great ability to have on my journey._

_ But I couldn't do it since happy thoughts are needed for it to work. And ever since losing you and fighting with Riku and the others, I can't think of any because my happiest thoughts all center around you and our friends and I couldn't even think of them without bad memories interrupting._

_ Then, after I couldn't put up with Peter and his friends anymore, I ran away from them and ended up getting captured by Captain Hook and his pirate crew. And wouldn't you know it? The reason he captured me was so he could lure you to him so he could get revenge on you._

_The fact that he tried to use me as bait really got me angry. Speaking as someone who's been used too many times by villains to get to you, I never want to be in that position ever again. Especially since the last time it happened had far greater consequences for both of us._

_ My visit to Never Land seemed to be nothing but one misfortune after another. But I guess your visit was hardly any better. _

_After all, when you first came here, you had to see me in that unresponsive state due to my heart being within yours. Also, you had to watch Riku sink further down the dark path he was on. It's amazing that even after all that, you were still able to fly._

_Looking back on your first adventure, the fact that you were able to keep it together even after losing our home and being separated from me and Riku just shows how strong you've always been. I only wish I could be as strong as you on my own journey. But I think it will be a lot harder for me given everything that has happened._

_I'm sorry to be such a downer, Sora. I just really needed to let it out and you'll be glad to know that things got a lot better for me in Never Land._

_In spite of what I had said to them earlier, Peter and his friends came to save me. Then, together, we took on the pirates and defeated them all._

_When it came time to face Hook himself, I ended up doing something that wouldn't have approved of: I requested to fight him alone without the aid of Peter or anyone else. I know you wouldn't have liked it, but it was the only way I would get any better at fighting._

_The duel was close and for a brief moment, Hook nearly beat me. But thanks to some timely help from Tink and a very useful strategy from Peter, I turned the tables on the pirate. Then, once I was satisfied, we all sent Hook overboard where he was chased away by the crocodile (though as amusing as that was, I do hope Peter is right when he says that the crocodile never catches him)._

_The battle against Hook opened my eyes to many things. It showed me that I was able to hold my own against a major villain even if he wasn't in the same league as our other enemies like Maleficent and Xehanort. If I show the same strength against any future enemies, then nothing will stand in my way._

_It also showed me the better side of Peter and his friends. They may have their flaws. But their courage and devotion to their friends is very admirable. Much like your own._

_Before I parted ways with Peter and his friends, I promised that I would return with you. After all, you still need to take me flying and I know that once we're together, I will soar the skies for sure._

_But you will not believe this, Sora. You actually weren't the first Keyblade Wielder that Peter has met. As it turns out, Terra, Ven and Aqua have visited Never Land too. And according to Tink, Roxas and Axel have also been here. Peter and Tink said that they'll be glad to share those stories when we return._

_So, my first world visit may not have been entirely enjoyable. But I'd say that making a new group of friends and defeating my first real bad guy definitely made it worthwhile._

_However, a few new mysteries have presented themselves. _

_For example, during the fight with the pirates, one of the Lost Boys, Toodles, was in trouble and no one, including myself, was able to help him. But then, a strange power enabled me to throw off my current opponent and transport myself across the pirate ship to where I could save him. I have no idea how I was able to do that._

_Also, just before I parted with Peter and the others, this mysterious card that has a moving image of them appeared out of thin air. I'm keeping the card, which I'm calling a Memento Card, with me because I think there's some kind of magic in it. I only wish I knew what it was exactly._

_But the strangest mystery concerns the Wayfinder. The woman in my dream said that when it glowed, then I would know it's time to move onto the next world. But she never said what I had to do to get it to glow so when it finally did, I don't know what I did to make it happen._

_So many questions and so few answers. Still, I guess I can take comfort in the fact that whatever I did to make the Wayfinder glow has put me one step closer to finding you._

_Now I am about to depart with Pluto to wherever we need to be next. And wherever you are, Sora, I hope the happy thoughts that enabled you to fly in Never Land keep you going until we're together again._

_See you soon,_

_Kairi_

* * *

Much like she did back home, Kairi stood with Pluto by her side on Never Land's beach and watched the bottle drift off past Skull Rock. She hoped that it would reach the person it was meant for.

Holding the Wayfinder, she was about to place it to her heart and activate its power. But before she could, she heard laughter and tinkling from up above. She gazed upward.

Frolicking around in the sky, were Peter, Tink and the Lost Boys. Apparently, they had decided to go flying after she took her leave of them. They laughed and giggled as they played what looked liked to be an aerial version of tag.

Despite wishing she could join them; Kairi couldn't help but smile. Hearing their joy brought back so many memories of the fun she had with Sora and Riku when they were younger. Back when it seemed like the good times would never end for the three of them.

_'Peter, you and your friends don't know how good you've got it. An eternal youth-filled lifetime full of fun and adventure in a world where nothing truly bad can ever happen. I'm glad that the darkness never took this world and if I or Sora or any of the other Guardians of Light have anything to say about it, it never will.'_

Thinking about the other Guardians made Kairi's heart sink a little and caused her to wonder about something. She turned to Pluto.

"Pluto, I was so hard on Peter and his friends. And yet, they came to save us from the pirates. So, I can't help but wonder if Riku, Mickey and the others would do the same after what I said to them a month ago. Do you think they would?"

Pluto just smiled and let out a bark. Clearly, he thought the answer was a yes.

Kairi sighed but gave a small smile while petting the dog on the head. "I wish I could be as positive as you. But I was much harder on them than I was with Peter and his group. But I know that we can fix things once I bring Sora home. We'd better get going."

Pluto nodded in agreement and wrapped his tail around her ankle like he did before. Kairi placed the Wayfinder to her heart and once again, willed it to take her where she needed to be.

As the tunnel of light formed around her and Pluto, she looked up at Peter as he and his friends continue to play. She watched and listened until she couldn't see or hear them anymore.

_'Someday, I will return to Never Land and we'll all fly together. Once I regain the smile in my heart.'_

* * *

Nearby, perched on a tree branch, Diablo watched Kairi and Pluto vanish. Faithfully following his mistress' orders, he had been watching them unseen throughout most of their time in Never Land.

Now that they had departed, it was time for him to leave as well. Flapping his wings, he took off and flew away.

As he flew through the Never Land sky, he reflected on what he had observed. Like Kairi herself, he did not know what exactly she had accomplished in Never Land in regard to bringing Sora back. All she had done was make new friends and defeat a villain which seemed irrelevant.

When Kairi had been captured by Captain Hook, Diablo was certain he would be able to tell Maleficent that the pirate had dealt with the Princess of Heart and they wouldn't have to concern themselves with her anymore. But those hopes had been dashed when that flying boy and his friends rescued her and handed Hook yet another humiliating defeat.

Diablo shouldn't have been surprised. Of all of the villains that Maleficent and Pete had allied themselves with, the pirate captain was probably the least likely to defeat a Keyblade Wielder.

The raven was so lost in his ponderings that he never saw Cubby flying right toward him. He let out a caw of surprise and the Lost Boy screamed as they headed for a collision with each other. But just before they made contact, Cubby stopped in mid-air just as Diablo made a sharp turn to the left.

"Hey, watch where you're going, you stupid bird!" yelled Cubby causing the raven to let out a loud caw of anger in response as he flew away.

"What's with that bird?" asked Slightly as he, the other Lost Boys, Tink and Peter gathered around.

"Yeah. We've never seen him around Never Land before," said the Twins.

"Don't worry about him, men. Looks like he's leaving. He won't bother anyone here anymore," said Peter as they all resumed their game.

As Diablo flew away, he made a mental note to make a request to his mistress after he reported to her about Kairi. Once she had succeeded in conquering every world in existence, he hoped she would lay waste to Never Land and see that Peter Pan and his friends were appropriately punished.

In the raven's opinion, they already deserved to be punished for whatever role they played in helping the Princess of Heart on her quest to bring her hero back.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__And with that, our first Disney world is finished! So, how am I doing so far? I hope you're all enjoying this story and I hope you'll all continue to join our girl on her journey to save her guy. And now, I'd like to express my utmost appreciation to everyone who has read, favorited and followed this story. Also, I'd like to thank Gracekim20, Hero of Neutrality, StarkillerRicardos, MerlockVonBaron, and Tonks Rocks23 for their reviews on this story. I'd also like to thank those whose reviews on the initial posting were lost (but I saved) when I was forced to delete the initial posting and repost it: technoverex, 7, and KeywielderAnima. I hope I will continue to entertain you while we await whatever happens next in the series. Next chapter will be an interlude concerning a few characters who surely have noticed there's a Princess of Heart missing from her home. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	18. Ch 16: One of Our Princesses is Missing

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! Hope you guys don't mind but we're taking a break from Kairi and focusing on the other Guardians this chapter. This one's a long one so enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 16: One of Our Princesses is Missing**

**The Mysterious Tower**

As Riku morosely trudged up the stairs to Yen Sid's study, he reflected on the fact that there had never been a time when he had enjoyed visiting the Mysterious Tower. It seemed that every time he or any of the other Guardians Light had come there, they only learned increasingly bad news about impending disasters.

This visit felt no different. However, Riku knew they were meeting because of bad news he had delivered earlier.

"Riku?"

The silver haired Keyblade Master looked at the girl slightly ahead of him on the stairs. Naminè carried a look of sympathy on her face.

_'How often would I see that look on Kairi's face whenever she felt Sora and I needed comfort.'_

"I should have gone to her sooner, Naminè. Right after Mickey finished his call yesterday would have been the best time. Then this wouldn't be happening."

Naminè descended down to the step Riku was on. "I know you're worried about her, Riku. I am too. But there's no point in beating yourself up about what you didn't do. It's not going to help us find Kairi at all. Right now, the others need us to tell them what happened this morning so we can make a plan to find her."

'_Besides, you're not the only one who could've done something sooner that might've prevented this.'_

Letting out a big sigh, he said, "You're right, Naminè. Let's get this over with so we can start searching for her."

Naminè nodded and side by side, they continued to walk up the stairs until they finally came to the door to Yen Sid's study. Riku opened the door and suddenly felt all eyes on him and Naminè.

Everyone was standing around in their usual groups. Terra, Aqua and Ven with Chirithy on his shoulder stood to the left while Roxas, Xion and Axel stood to the right. Mickey, Donald and Goofy stood at Yen Sid's right while the sorcerer himself sat in his chair behind his desk.

As Riku gazed around at the worried and concerned looks everyone was giving him, he felt the familiar twinge of jealousy. After all, each of these groups had been reunited while his own had been torn apart.

Mickey approached Riku. "Riku, are you okay?"

Riku said nothing. But just shook his head in the negative.

"We don't blame you at all. It was quite a shock when you called to tell us she was gone," said Goofy.

"Especially since the King told you to watch out for her," grumbled Donald causing everyone to gasp in shock.

"Donald, that was uncalled for. I may have asked Riku to keep an eye on her as best as he could. But there's no way he could've watched her every moment," said Mickey.

"Yeah. It's not like they live in the same house," added Goofy.

Donald sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Well, in a way, you're right, Donald. I could've kept a better eye on her, and I should have been trying harder to mend things with her," said Riku.

"That's something we're unfortunately all guilty of, Riku," said Xion.

"Hey, don't put this all on us. Kairi has her share of the blame too. She wasn't listening to reason and lashed out at us, remember? And now she's run off to who knows where without telling anybody and she's likely going to get herself killed again!" exclaimed Axel as he punched the wall causing him to cry out in pain.

"Calm down, Axel. Taking your frustration out on the wall isn't going to help," said Roxas.

Axel took a deep breath. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just so worried about her. I have been all month."

"We've all been worried about her," said Ven.

"But now's not the time for us to be pointing fingers at each other or her," said Terra.

"That's right. The best thing right now is to remain calm and think of something we can do to find her," said Aqua.

"You are correct, Master Aqua. I suggest we get started immediately. Master Riku? You mentioned that there was a letter that Kairi wrote to her parents. May I see it?" asked Yen Sid.

Riku made his way to the desk. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to the sorcerer.

"I know this is very difficult for you. Kairi's sudden disappearance is a terrible turn of events. But if we are to locate her, we must first gain some idea of why and how she left. So, would you please relate to us what happened on the Destiny Islands this morning," said Yen Sid.

Riku was reluctant to begin. The shock of what had happened earlier was still fresh in his mind.

Then he felt someone take his right hand. He looked and saw Naminè giving him a look that encouraged him to go on.

'_All right. They're going to have to hear this if we're going to find her.'_

"Okay. Here's what happened," said Riku as he related how he had found out that Kairi and Pluto had vanished from the Destiny Islands.

* * *

**Destiny Islands, Earlier That Day**

Up in his room, Riku was finishing getting dressed. As he put on his jacket, he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in!" he called.

The door opened and in stepped Naminè. "Your mom let me in. So, are you ready for this?"

Riku sighed. "As I'll ever be, I guess."

"It's been a whole month since that fight, Riku. You know we have to try again," said Naminè.

"I know we do and part of me hopes that this is when we'll finally fix things with Kairi. But I'm also afraid that we're just going to end up in another fight," said Riku.

"Just tell her what you told me, Riku. Maybe that'll be what you need to mend your bond. Then, hopefully, she'll be open to fixing things with the others," said Naminè.

"I wish I could be more optimistic about this. But that's never been easy for me. Sora always had more than enough optimism for the two of us."

"Yes, I've seen plenty of evidence for that in his memories. But if he were here now, he'd want you to try. He wouldn't want a friendship like yours and Kairi's to end," said Naminè.

"If he were here, none of this would be happening," stated Riku.

"I know. Come on. Let's head over to her house," said Naminè as she and Riku made their way out of his room. They travelled through the house and soon reached the front door.

But before Riku could open it, a loud rapping was heard on the other side of the door. Following it came frantic cries from a familiar voice.

"Riku! Riku! Open up!"

"That's Selphie!" exclaimed Riku as he quickly grabbed the doorknob and opened it.

Selphie was standing on the doorstep and she had a look of absolute panic on her face. Standing behind her wearing identical expressions were Tidus and Wakka.

"Oh good, you're here!" exclaimed Selphie.

"Selphie, what's wrong?" asked Riku.

"You've got to come to Kairi's house right now!" exclaimed Selphie.

Riku's eyes widened. "What's happened?"

"Is she okay?" asked Naminè coming out from behind Riku.

"We don't know. She's not there!" exclaimed Tidus.

"What?!" exclaimed both Riku and Naminè.

"It's true! Her mom's going crazy about it," said Wakka.

"We went to her house earlier because I wanted to check and see how she was doing. But when we got there, her mom was in tears. She told us that both Kairi and Pluto were gone, and we had to get you over there as quickly as possible," said Selphie.

Riku said nothing. He just charged past the trio and headed in the direction of Kairi's house. Naminè followed close behind with Selphie and the others doing the same.

* * *

Much later, all of them were in Kairi's bedroom. They had all over and were searching for clues while her mother stood in the doorway drying her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Riku. You too, Naminè," said Dorothy.

"Of course, ma'am. We were about to come here anyway. And we're going to get to the bottom of this. Right, Riku?" asked Naminè.

"Right," said Riku as he and others continued to survey Kairi's bedroom.

So far, there wasn't too much that looked out of the ordinary. The only exceptions were an open window and a few papers and things strewn about the floor.

"Now they did come home last night, didn't they?" asked Naminè.

"Yes, they did. I actually caught Kairi trying to sneak up to her room without eating or feeding Pluto first," said Dorothy.

"And this is exactly how you found the room when you discovered they were gone?" Riku asked.

"Yes. I had just finished cooking breakfast for her and myself. She and Pluto hadn't come down yet and I thought they may have just overslept. I went to wake them and found they were gone," said Dorothy.

"Then we showed up and she told us to go get you, Riku," said Tidus.

"I thought if anyone had any idea of what might've happened to them, it would be you or someone else in your Keyblade group," said Dorothy.

"Well, if you ask me, it's pretty obvious what happened. It looks like somebody or something came in and kidnapped them," said Wakka.

A fearful look came to Dorothy's face. "Oh, Riku. You don't think that's what happened, do you?"

"Yeah. What if it was those Heartless or Nobody things you told us about?" asked Selphie wearing an equally frightened expression.

Riku thought for a second. While they hadn't seen any sign of the Heartless, Nobodies or any of their other enemies since Xehanort's defeat, they couldn't rule out an eventual reappearance from them. Kidnapping Kairi, who was both a Princess of Heart and a Keyblade Wielder, would definitely fit their modus operandi.

Still, throughout the adventures he shared with the others, he had learned that nothing was ever what it seemed to be at first glance. As he gazed around Kairi's room, he saw plenty of evidence preventing him from blaming any of their foes for her disappearance.

Naminè shared his train of thought. "I don't think they were kidnapped at all."

"How can you say that? The window's wide open and the place is a mess," said Wakka gesturing to the window.

"Yeah, if that doesn't point to something coming in and taking them, I don't know what does," said Tidus.

"If something did come in to try and abduct Kairi, I think the mess would be a lot larger. Even if she and Pluto lost, they would have put up a fight. And if a fight did happen, you and the mayor would've heard it, Dorothy," said Riku as Dorothy nodded in agreement.

"Maybe she didn't even get a chance to fight. Maybe they got her by surprise," said Tidus.

_'Wouldn't be the first time,'_ thought Riku as he recalled what Roxas, Axel and Xion told him about how Xemnas grabbed her during the Keyblade War.

"But look at Kairi's bed," said Naminè as she pointed to the bed. "I doubt that if she was snatched from it in the middle of the night, the kidnapper wouldn't take the time to make it."

"Also, you guys don't know Pluto like we do. He would've sensed an intruder no matter how sound asleep he was and woke her up," said Riku

"But what about all this stuff all over the floor? How do you explain that?" asked Wakka.

"Now that I think about it, Wakka, it really isn't much of a mess. Not one caused by a fight, at least. It actually looks more like all this stuff was just blown around by the wind through the window," said Tidus.

"That actually makes sense, Tidus. And the window only opens from the inside, so someone would've had to break it to get in," said Dorothy.

"And breaking and entering isn't really what any of our foes do. Especially Heartless and Nobodies, who can just pop in wherever they want. They wouldn't need to use the window at all," said Riku.

"So, if there's nothing to indicate Kairi was kidnapped, then there's really only one possible answer: she and Pluto left in the middle of the night on their own," said Naminè.

"That would explain the made-up bed! Kairi's always been in the habit of making her bed. She even did it at our sleepovers," said Selphie.

"But why would she just leave like that without telling anyone?" asked Dorothy.

Riku and Naminè hung their heads. They both had a pretty good idea of why Kairi had left so suddenly.

"She must've have gone to look for Sora," said Riku.

"And she didn't tell anyone because she probably thought someone would stop her," said Naminè.

Dorothy looked like she was about to start crying again. "I knew she's been upset all month since you all had that fight. She was even more saddened last night when she told me she couldn't even write her monthly letter to Sora."

Dorothy's last statement sent a shock through Riku and Naminè. As far as they knew, words had never failed Kairi when it came to writing her letters to Sora. The idea of her being unable to write one was unthinkable.

"I knew it was the last thing she wanted to hear, but I even implied that she was starting to accept that he was gone. That probably made things worse and caused her to run away," said Dorothy as she began to sob.

Riku placed his hand on Dorothy's shoulder. It was all he could do from breaking down himself.

_'Don't blame yourself, Dorothy. You're not the one who's to blame for this.'_

"Hold up, everyone. There's still something that doesn't make sense about this whole thing," said Tidus.

"And that is?" asked Naminè.

"You said Kairi's been upset all month since that fight. But if she wanted to find Sora, why would she leave now of all times?" asked Tidus.

"That's right. I mean, if I were her, I would've taken off looking for him right after the fight," said Wakka.

"As mad as Kairi was at us, even she had no idea where to start looking," said Naminè.

"So, what could've happened between yesterday evening and this morning that caused her to leave?" asked Riku.

"And there's another thing that doesn't make sense. If Kairi really did leave to find Sora, how was she going to leave the Islands and get to the other worlds?" asked Naminè.

"Couldn't she use that ship of yours? What was it called? The Gumbo Ship?" asked Wakka.

"Gummi Ship. And she didn't take it. When I came here earlier from Radiant Garden in my own ship, I noticed the one belonging to Kairi and Riku was still parked in orbit," said Naminè.

"And even if she did take it, there's no way she could use it to get to the other worlds because she doesn't know how to open up the Gates," said Riku.

"But hasn't she's gone to the other worlds on her own before? I mean, she did come back by herself after you guys fought a month ago," asked Dorothy.

"That may be true. But after Xehanort was defeated, Riku and the other Wielders closed up most of the Gates between worlds that Sora opened. The only worlds that are still connected are Disney Castle, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, the Land of Departure, and the Mysterious Tower. And with the way Kairi's been avoiding us and the rest of the Guardians, I don't think she'd start any search for Sora in any of those worlds," said Naminè.

"So, we still don't know the why or the how she left," said Tidus.

"Guys! Look here! I found something!" exclaimed Selphie.

They all turned toward Selphie who was standing on the other side of Kairi's bed. She was holding a folded piece of paper in her hand.

"I found this beside the bed. It must've been blown there by the wind from the window. Maybe this'll have the answers we need."

"What is that?" asked Riku.

"It must be a letter from Kairi," said Selphie showing the front of the paper. On it, in Kairi's handwriting, were the words, 'Mom and Dad'.

Dorothy rushed over to Selphie and took the note. Everyone gathered around her as she unfolded it and read it aloud.

* * *

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_First of all, I'd to say that I am really sorry for just leaving in the middle of the night. You have both been the most wonderful parents I've ever known, and it pains me to know that I am hurting you like this._

_But I couldn't risk you or anyone else trying to stop me from doing what I know I have to do._

_Anyway, last night, I was visited in my dreams by a mysterious woman. She gave me a special talisman that's supposed to take me a journey through the worlds to 'where I need to be'. _

_I can't say that I completely understand it myself and I know it will be hard for you to believe. All I know is that my heart is telling me that this woman can be trusted, and this talisman must be the key to finding Sora._

_So that is why I left. I don't know how long it will be until I return. But I promise you that I will do all that I can to make sure that both Sora and I come home safely for good._

_Love, now and always,_

_Your daughter Kairi_

_P.S.: I've sent Pluto to Riku's house. He should be able to get him back home to Disney Castle, so you don't have to worry about taking care of him._

_P.P.S.: If Riku or any of the others ask about me, just tell them that we'll have plenty to talk about when I return with Sora._

* * *

After Dorothy had finished reading the note, everyone stood in silence and reflected on what they had heard. Though Kairi's note had provided some kind of answer to their questions, it did not make them feel any better. If anything, it had only raised more questions and increased their worry.

"What do we do now? How are we going to find her?" asked Dorothy.

"I don't know. But what we need to do now is call Mickey and everyone else and have them meet us at Yen Sid's tower. Maybe then we can make a plan to find her. Dorothy, can we take that letter with us? I think everyone should hear what it says," said Riku.

"Yes, of course," said Dorothy as she handed Riku the note.

"And before we do anything else, we'll come back here and tell you and the mayor what our plan is," said Naminè. _'We really ought to have provided Gummi Phones for Kairi's parents as well as Sora's and Riku's.'_

"Thank you. I haven't let Parker know what's happened yet since he's currently on the north side of the island. But I'll give him a call and he'll probably rush right home. Hopefully, I can calm him down by the time you return," said Dorothy.

"Really hope you can. I wouldn't want to be here when the mayor finds out about this," said Wakka with Selphie and Tidus nodding in agreement.

_'Wakka's right. Aside from Sora's parents, Kairi's dad probably took the story of what happened during the Keyblade War the hardest. I can't blame him since he had to hear that his daughter was killed,'_ thought Riku.

"Come on, Naminè. We've got some calls to make. We'll be back as soon as we can, Dorothy," said Riku as he and Naminè rushed out of the room and downstairs toward the front door.

_'Oh Kairi. What have you done? Where did you go?'_ thought Riku

* * *

**The Mysterious Tower, Present Time**

As Riku and Naminè finished their tale, everyone stood in silence. Mixed emotions travelled across their faces as they comprehended what they had learned.

Goofy scratched his head in thought. "Gawrsh, Your Majesty. Do ya think that Kairi's onto somethin'?"

"I don't know, Goofy. I think we'd all like to believe that after all this time, she's found what we've been hoping for. But this whole situation leaves me wondering about so many things," said Mickey.

"Yeah. Like who is this mystery woman who visited Kairi in her dreams? And what exactly is this talisman she's using?" asked Chirithy.

"Doesn't it sound anything you've heard of before, Chirithy?" asked Ven.

"No. As far as I know, there is no way to save Sora without paying the same price he did."

_'And Sora would never want to be brought back at the cost of any one of us,'_ thought Riku.

"Master Yen Sid, have you ever heard of something like this?" asked Aqua.

"I am afraid not, Master Aqua. If Kairi had come to us with her talisman before she left, we may have been able to verify if its capability to save Sora was authentic," said the sorcerer.

"Maybe it really is. Kairi wouldn't have gone if she didn't truly believe in her heart that it was the real thing," said Xion.

"But remember, Xion, from what Riku's told us, Kairi hasn't been in the most reasonable frame of mind this last month," said Terra.

"Terra's right. Chances are, Kairi might be walking into a trap," said Axel.

"What makes you think that, Axel?" asked Roxas.

"Think about it, guys. A way to bring Sora back is practically the perfect bait for Kairi especially since she's been so upset about him lately. She'd snatch that bait up without a second thought. I'm sure a few people who've been in the same boat before would agree."

Everyone once again stood in silence as they contemplated what they had just heard. While it was true many of them had fallen prey to villainous manipulations before, part of them were also hoping, in various degrees, that Sora's return was now a possibility.

It was quite a conundrum. Was Kairi really on her way to bringing Sora back? Or was she being lured into a trap by some unknown adversary?

Yen Sid stroked his beard for a few moments before he finally piped up. "Regardless of either possibility, I believe it is essential that we locate Kairi as soon as possible. As one of the Princesses of Heart, she is a major target for the forces of darkness."

"But how are we going to find her? We have no idea to which world she may have gone," said Donald.

"At least Pluto's with her. Her note may have said she intended to send him home through Riku. But knowing my pal, he probably stuck with her. He's so fond of her that he'd never let her go without him," said Mickey.

"Pluto! Mickey, is there anyway to track him? Because if we can find him, we can find Kairi!" exclaimed Xion.

In response to Xion's question, Mickey shook his head. "Sorry, Xion. Pluto doesn't have anything like that. I never thought such a thing was necessary."

Axel threw up his hands in frustration. "This is just dandy. There's near infinite worlds out there and they could be anywhere. For all we know, they may not even be in the Realm of Light anymore."

"Now, Axel, let's not assume the worst just yet. I actually have an idea of what we can do to try and find them," said Aqua.

"What do you propose, Master Aqua?" asked Yen Sid.

"I think we should check in on the other Princesses of Heart. If something strange is happening in their worlds or if they have vanished as well, it might lead us to a clue on how to find Kairi and Pluto," said Aqua.

"But Aqua, other than Kairi, we only know the identities and locations of three of the new Princesses. The other three are still unknown to us," said Mickey.

"I understand that, Mickey. But the worlds of the new Princesses aren't the only ones we should investigate," said Aqua.

"I don't follow," said Axel.

"Of the previous seven, Kairi is the only one who has kept her power. This may be a longshot but if Kairi was being lured by someone who wanted to gather all seven, maybe they aren't aware that the others' powers have been passed on," said Aqua.

"That's right. Even Sora, Donald and I weren't aware of that until Marluxia told us Rapunzel was one of the new ones," said Goofy.

"Like I said, it is a longshot. But I think it's the best we've got right now," said Aqua.

"A longshot's better than nothing," said Roxas.

"So, if we're going to check on the Princesses of Heart, both the previous and current ones, the question now is who's going where?" asked Riku.

* * *

Much later, after the meeting had concluded and their travel plans finalized, Riku stood outside the Mysterious Tower by himself. Everyone else had already departed to where they were meant to go. Right now, he was waiting for Naminè.

_'I wonder what Master Yen Sid wanted to speak to her about,'_ he thought just as the doors opened and Naminè stepped out.

"Is everything okay? What did he want to tell you?"

Naminè looked hesitant to answer. Finally, she said, "He wants me to stick with you when you go searching for Kairi."

Riku's jaw dropped in surprise. "What?! B-but, Naminè, it could be dangerous. You're the only one of us who doesn't have a Keyblade or any kind of fighting techniques."

_'Besides, when my Replica sacrificed his chance to have a new vessel for you, I vowed that I would keep you safe for him. And I want to actually keep a promise I made.'_

"I know that, Riku. But Yen Sid doesn't think you should be alone right now, and I agree with him. And since Mickey's not going to be with you this time, someone's got to keep you on the road to dawn," said Naminè.

Riku thought about what she said. _'She's right. __With Sora gone and Kairi missing now, there could be a big risk of me slipping back into darkness_.'

"And if we do run into trouble, I know I can count you to keep me safe," said Naminè offering a comforting smile to her friend.

Riku tried to return the smile. But he still felt uneasy about the whole thing. "I don't really have a choice here, do I?"

Naminè shook her head. "Nope. I'm afraid you don't."

Riku sighed in resignation. "Fine. But don't you go doing anything reckless while we're out there."

"I won't. I may not have been to many other worlds. But I have seen Sora's memories of them, so I've got a pretty good idea of the kind of dangers they have to offer."

"Then let's head back to the Islands so we can tell Kairi's parents what we're going to do," said Riku as he headed in the direction of where the Gummi Ship was parked.

Naminè was about to follow when out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something standing near the edge of the tower. It was Chirithy and it was waving to her as if it wanted her to come over.

"Um, why don't you go ahead and get the Gummi Ship ready to go? I just realized there was something I meant to ask Master Yen Sid about but forgot."

"Okay. I'll wait for you in it," said Riku as he headed off.

Once Riku was a good distance away, Naminè quickly walked to where Chirithy was. After going around the side of the tower, she gazed down at the Dream Eater.

"Better make this fast, Chirithy or Riku's going to get suspicious," said Naminè.

"So, I'm guessing you haven't told him what you've been up to lately with Ven, Roxas, and Xion?" asked Chirithy.

Naminè shook her head. "No. I was planning on telling both him and Kairi if we succeeded in mending things with her this morning."

"Did you ever think that maybe if we had told them sooner about your project, we might have avoided this?" asked the Dream Eater.

"Maybe. But you know why we weren't going to tell them until we had something definite."

Chirithy sighed. "Yes. We didn't want to get their hopes up in case it turned out to be another dead end."

"Right. I only decided to tell them today because I thought it might persuade Kairi to fix things with some of the rest of them."

"But are you going to tell Riku about it now?"

"I don't think it's a good time for it. Not with Kairi missing. But we can deal with this later. We've got some worlds to check out."

"All right. I'll pop in on the others and let them know we're still keeping it a secret for now," said Chirithy as it vanished while Naminè turned around and headed to where Riku had gone.

_'Kairi, I wish you hadn't just left like that. But I do hope that, wherever you and Pluto are, you're safe and whatever came to you last night will give you better luck in finding Sora than what I was trying to do.'_

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Special points to the one who can guess the obscure Disney film the chapter title refers to! So, the Guardians are on the search for Kairi. Will their paths cross with her? Or will they either arrive too early or too late? Also, what has Naminè been up to? You'll just have to keep reading to find out. I'd like to point out that a lot of these interlude chapters take place simultaneously with the Kairi chapters. Case in point: while the events of this interlude and the last one with Maleficent and Pete are happening, so are the events in Never Land with Kairi. Kind of like the simultaneous narratives of Sora and Riku in Chain of Memories. Their placement may not be as clear as Kairi's more linear narrative. But I'll do my best. I give my thanks to everyone who read this chapter and special thanks to Tonks Rocks23 and KeywielderAnima for their reviews. Next chapter, Kairi arrives in a new world for a new adventure. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	19. Ch 17: Friends of a Friend

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! Before we start, heart, to answer your question, Kairi will be visiting Agrabah and Arendelle in this story. However, the stories of Aladdin and the King of Thieves and Frozen 2 will not be the plots of those visits. In fact, with a few exceptions, the Disney worlds are going to have original stories much like the first Kingdom Hearts game. Anyway, let's get back to Kairi in her next stop on the journey. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 17: Friends of a Friend**

**?**

"I've got to say, Pluto, this world is definitely a far cry from Never Land," said Kairi as she gazed at her surroundings. Pluto nodded.

When she first arrived in this new world, she almost panicked because she and Pluto had materialized right in the middle of a village. She was dreading having to do some difficult explaining but fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed a girl and a dog appearing out of thin air. Perhaps it was due to some magic of the Wayfinder.

Once the shock had worn off, Kairi took in the scenery. She saw that the village bordered an ocean much like her hometown on the Islands. But though it was spring, the weather didn't feel as warm. And when she turned around and saw the immense mountain range, she knew that this world was nothing like she had been to before.

"Well, Pluto, what do you say we walk around and see what we can see? Maybe we can get a hint of what we're supposed to do here?" asked Kairi who received a bark of agreement in response.

Together, the girl and the dog strolled through the village. As they walked into an area that appeared to be a marketplace, Kairi held the Wayfinder in her hand.

_'I still wish I knew exactly what I did in Never Land to make it glow. It would make this quest a whole lot easier,'_ she thought.

"Hoo-hoo!" exclaimed a voice snapping Kairi out of her thoughts.

Kairi turned and saw that she had wandered near one of the stalls. It contained all sorts of things for sale.

Standing near it was a burly man wearing a knitted sweater and hat. He had strawberry-blonde hair with sideburns and a moustache and was wearing a friendly smile.

"Big spring blowout! Got a good selection of sundresses, sunhats and a sun balm of my own invention. Get yourself good and prepared for summer, ja? I'll even throw in a complimentary dip in the sauna," he said gesturing to a steaming box situated near the stall.

"Um no thanks. I'm not really shopping right now. I'm just…" stopped Kairi as something near the stall caught her eye.

"Those flowers!" she exclaimed as she looked over the flowers of various shapes and colors in pots near the stall.

"Ah, you like them? I grew them myself," said the man.

"You certainly did a great job. They're beautiful, Mr.…?"

"Wandering Oaken, at your service, young lady," said the man introducing himself.

"I'm Kairi and this is Pluto," said Kairi as the dog barked.

"Well, Miss Kairi, would you be interested in buying some? Add a touch of hygge to your home?"

"Hygge? What does that mean?" asked Kairi perplexed.

"It means comfort, coziness, everything that gives you a nice feeling," said Oaken.

"Oh," said Kairi. _'I guess the feeling I'd get whenever I was just hanging around the P;ay Island with Sora and Riku; that was my hygge._'

"Well, they would probably look good in my mother's garden. But I'm from pretty far away so even I could buy them, I couldn't take them home with me. They probably wouldn't survive the trip."

"Oh. You are a tourist, ja?" asked Oaken.

"You could say that. But I will say that if I could, I would bring these wonderful flowers home with me," said Kairi. _'They certainly bring back memories.'_

As Kairi looked at the flowers, she recalled what little she could of her life in Radiant Garden before she washed up on the Destiny Islands. She remembered going through the various namesake gardens, picking flowers and giving them to her grandmother or anybody she thought could use some flowers.

'_I've often said that my life before the Destiny Islands didn't matter. I was only a little girl back then and there couldn't have been much difference between Radiant Garden Kairi and Destiny Islands Kairi. In fact, if I'm being honest with myself, I think my life truly began the day Sora found me on that beach and smiled at me. Still, I can't help but wonder…"_

"ACHOO!"

Kairi was snapped out of her thoughts by a loud sneeze from behind. Following it, she felt something hit her in the back before hearing whatever it was fall to the ground.

The Princess of Heart turned around and looked down. A puzzled look came to her face as she bent down and picked up what had struck her in the back.

"A carrot? Where did this come from?" she asked.

In response, Pluto just gave a look that indicated he was as surprised as she was. Oaken, however, just gave a pleasant smile as if the sudden appearance of the carrot was no surprise to him at all.

A few minutes passed before Kairi heard, from directly ahead of her, a voice exclaim, "Oh good! You've found my nose!"

She looked in the direction of the voice and saw a surprising sight. Waddling toward her, Pluto and Oaken, was a snowman with a small snowing cloud hovering above him.

Upon reaching them, he looked up to Oaken with a pleasant smile and said, "Hello Mr. Wandering Oaken!"

"Hello, magical talking snowman! Looks like you've been smelling flowers again, ja?" responded Oaken with a smile of his own.

"Oh yes. You know, I really ought to hold my nose whenever I do that, so it won't go flying off when I sneeze. But then again, it doesn't really make much sense to hold your nose if you want to smell flowers. Am I right?"

Oaken nodded in agreement. Kairi, though she was still stunned to see a walking, talking snowman, managed to nod as well.

"Anyway, thank you so much for finding it. Usually my friend Sven catches my nose when that happens. He usually also sticks it on after he pretends to eat it so if you wouldn't mind," the snowman said as he pointed to the spot on his face where a nose would normally be.

"Oh, uh, sure," said Kairi as she stuck the carrot in the spot he indicated.

The snowman's smile got bigger. "There! That looks so much better now, isn't it?"

"Yes. It actually does," Kairi admitted.

The snowman giggled. "You're too kind. I like you. Oh, but where are my manners? I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs," he said reaching out his stick hand.

Kairi overcame her shock and gave the snowman a smile as she took his hand and shook it. "It's very nice to meet you, Olaf. I'm Kairi and this is Pluto."

Olaf gazed at Pluto. "Well, he's a funny looking reindeer, isn't he?"

Pluto gave a yelp of surprise. Kairi laughed.

"He's not a reindeer. He's a dog," she said in between laughs.

"Oh! My mistake. You see, I'm still less than a year old. There's still so much I need to learn. But I'm sure I'll know plenty when I am older," said Olaf.

Pluto let out a grumbling growl showing he was still annoyed at Olaf's comment. Kairi gave him a pat on the head.

"Don't take it personally, Pluto. Still better than being called a cat, right?" asked Kairi.

Pluto thought for a minute. Then he smiled and nodded.

"So, Kairi, I'm guessing you're new here, right?" asked Olaf.

"Is it obvious?"

"You were acting like most people do whenever they see me for the first time. Like you'd never seen a snowman before. Anyway, what brings you to Arendelle? Because if you're looking for something fun, I know a few things you can try," said Olaf.

Kairi's face fell a little. "Actually Olaf, I've come here because Pluto and I doing something very important. Maybe you can help us. Have you ever seen or met someone named Sora?"

Olaf let out a gasp of surprise as he lifted his head off of his body. "Brown spiky hair? Little underdressed for cold weather? Usually with an unusual pair named Donald and Goofy? Wait, are you a friend of his?"

"Yes, I am. Have you…" But Kairi was unable to finish her question because Olaf had become absolutely ecstatic.

"Oh, I knew today was going to be a good day! I always like making new friends. But making a friend who's a friend of a friend is so exciting! I can't wait to tell Anna, Elsa and everyone else at the castle about this!" said Olaf giddily.

Two of Olaf's words struck a sudden realization within Kairi. "Anna? Elsa?"

"The princess and her sister, the queen. Such a wonderful pair. Arendelle is lucky to have them. Did you know that the princess met her boyfriend at my trading post up in the mountains?" piped up Oaken.

"Really?" asked Kairi.

"Oh ja! And they make such a nice couple, even if her boyfriend called me a crook when they met. But I think he was just stressed due to the unexpected blizzard in July."

Kairi's mind, however, was reeling from what she had just learned. _'I'm in the home world of two of the new Princesses of Heart! Maybe what I'm supposed to do here is connected to them!'_

"Olaf?" asked Kairi.

Olaf stopped his happy rant and asked, "Yes, Kairi?"

"Do you think it would be possible if I could meet Queen Elsa and Princess Anna?"

Olaf's smile got bigger. "Of course, you can! They'd love to meet you. Ever since they opened up the gates, they love meeting new people! Follow me!" he exclaimed as he toddled off.

"Thank you," said Kairi as she followed behind with Pluto following alongside her.

But before they got very far, they Oaken cry out, "Hold on!"

Kairi turned around and saw Oaken approaching her. He had a vase in his hands filled with some of his flowers. He handed them to Kairi.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"Well, if you're going to meet the queen and the princess, you ought to bring a little gift for them," he responded.

"But I can't afford to buy this. This vase looks way too expensive," said Kairi.

"Oh, never mind about that. It's on the house. Consider it a token for someone who knows how to appreciate lovely flowers," said Oaken.

Kairi smiled. "Thank you so much."

"Come on, Kairi! I want my friend of a friend to meet my other friends," said the snowman as he came back and tugged on Kairi's arm.

"I'm coming. Thanks again, Oaken!"

"You're very welcome. Farewell, Miss Kairi. Hope you enjoy your time in Arendelle!" called Oaken.

'_I certainly will. That is, if this visit gets me closer to finding Sora in some way,'_ thought Kairi as she and Pluto walked away with Olaf.

* * *

Much later, Kairi, Pluto and Olaf were in another part of the village closer to the castle. As they walked, Olaf talked about what happened when Sora, Donald and Goofy visited Arendelle.

"Did you know when I first met Sora, I got my foot stuck in his hair?" asked Olaf.

Kairi chuckled. "Actually, that's not too unbelievable. You will not believe the stuff that got in his spikes when we were younger."

"It certainly was an unusual way to meet a friend," said Olaf.

"More unusual than sneezing your nose into someone's back?" asked Kairi with a sly smile.

Olaf giggled. "Okay, you got me there. But after we became friends, Sora, Donald and Goofy were so good to me. They even helped put me back together after those Heartless monsters caused me to fall apart. They did a good job even though they made a few mistakes when they were looking for my body. Well, we're here," said Olaf.

Kairi looked ahead and saw they were now on a bridge leading up to a large castle. It was surrounded by a wall with multiple towers with the only way in being a pair of open gates.

The three strolled up to the gates which had a guard on either side of them. They eyed Kairi with suspicion.

"It's okay, guys. She's with me," said Olaf.

Taking the snowman's word, the guards' expressions softened. They gestured for Kairi to enter.

Stepping through the gates and into a large courtyard, Kairi asked, "So where is the queen and her sister?"

Olaf put a finger to his chin and thought. "Hmm. Well, I know Elsa was having a very important meeting and it's probably still going on right now. As for Anna and Kristoff, there was something they needed to do today. But I can't remember what it was."

Suddenly, a loud voice shouted from a nearby stable, "Come on, Sven! You've got to do this!"

Then the same voice said, in a slightly different and more goofy tone, "But I don't want to!"

"Oh, that's right! It's Sven's bath day!" exclaimed Olaf as he led Kairi to the stable.

Before they could enter, Olaf stopped Kairi. "Let me go in and introduce you first. Sven might be a little embarrassed about a stranger seeing him bathing. But just remember one thing, Kairi," he said as he gestured for Kairi to come closer.

"What is it, Olaf?" she asked as she leaned in.

Olaf whispered, "Kristoff is the man and Sven is the reindeer. Try not to get them mixed up. Got it?"

"Uh sure. Thanks for clearing that up," said Kairi who was a little befuddled. _'Who could ever get a reindeer and a man mixed up?'_

Olaf smiled. "Okay. I won't keep you waiting for long. They are going to love you!"

Then, a loud splash was heard from within the stable. Following it, was the male voice from earlier sputtering accompanied by a female voice laughing. There was also some kind of animal making a laughing sound as well.

"Oh. Sounds like Sven decided Kristoff needed to take his bath first!" giggled Olaf as he walked into the stable.

Kairi shook her head amusedly. _'Amazing how this little guy says the most unusual things as if they're normal. But I guess that's part of his charm.'_

Kairi set the vase down and started to dust off her clothing and straighten out her hair. Pluto looked at her in confusion as if he didn't understand why she felt to need to groom herself.

Kairi noticed her friend's confusion and said, "I'm about to meet a princess and then a queen, Pluto, so I'd like to look somewhat presentable. If there's one thing I've learned having a politician for a father, it's that first impressions are very important. And I'm sure you know this because your owner is a king, right?"

Pluto understood and gave the girl a nod. Kairi smiled and went back to her grooming.

As she worked on making herself presentable, she heard Olaf's voice within the stable say, "Hi Anna! Hi Kristoff! Hi Sven!"

"Hello Olaf! Did you enjoy your day in town?" asked the female voice.

"Oh yes! And something amazing happened! I was smelling flowers and I sneezed my nose off!" exclaimed the snowman's voice.

The female voice chuckled, "Olaf! Doesn't that happen every time you smell flowers?"

"This time, something very special happened. I followed my nose and it led to me to a new friend. And not just a friend but a friend of a friend!" exclaimed Olaf.

"A friend of a friend?" asked the male voice.

"Yes. And I brought her here to meet you. She's right outside. Come on in, Kairi!" called Olaf.

Kairi picked up the vase and took a deep breath. "Okay, Pluto. Let's meet some royalty."

With that, Kairi walked into the stable. She saw Olaf standing alongside a woman with red hair tied in pigtails and dressed in a pale green dress. Standing nearby was a muscular, blonde haired man who looked a little drenched and a reindeer who was giving a friendly smile.

The woman approached Kairi and gave her a smile. "Well, hello. You must be Olaf's new friend. I'm Anna, princess of Arendelle and I welcome you to our castle."

Kairi kneeled downward and presented the vase to Anna. Pluto bowed his head.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. My name is Kairi, and this is my dog Pluto. These are for you and your sister the queen."

Anna took the vase from Kairi and sniffed the flowers, taking delight in their pleasant scent. "They're lovely. Thank you, Kairi. You're very thoughtful."

The man then came over to Kairi. "Pleasure to meet you, Kairi. I'm Kristoff, Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer. You'll have to forgive my appearance. Apparently, my reindeer Sven still doesn't like to take baths," he said shooting an annoyed look at the reindeer.

"But Kristoff, I don't like to take baths," Kristoff then said in the goofy tone as if he was speaking for Sven.

"Well, I'm not too fond of them either. But we live in a castle now so you're just going to have to get used to it," Kristoff shot back.

Kairi giggled. "I know what you mean. It's nearly impossible to get Pluto to take a bath too," she said as the dog huffed indignantly.

"Oh, this is so great. My friends are getting along so well with my new friend of a friend!" exclaimed Olaf.

Anna gave a look of confusion. "What exactly is Olaf talking about, Kairi? Do you know someone he knows?"

"Actually, Your Majesty, I think you all know someone I know," said Kairi.

Anna, Kristoff, and Sven exchanged confused looks. "Who?" asked Anna.

Kairi was about to answer Anna's question when Olaf let out another gasp of surprise and said, "Kairi's right! Sora's our friend too so we're all friends of a friend!"

Anna and Kristoff's jaws dropped in surprise as did Sven's. "Sora?" inquired both humans.

Kairi nodded. "Yes. Sora's one of my best friends."

Anna smiled. "Well, this certainly is a surprise."

"I probably should've guessed it. Your clothes look very much like his," said Kristoff.

Anna took a look at Kairi's outfit. "You're right, Kristoff. They are pretty similar. Though lucky for you, Kairi, it's a much better fit for the weather right now than when Sora was here. It's amazing he didn't freeze being so underdressed."

"But, Anna, I don't think anyone expected to get caught in Elsa's winter. I doubt anyone had time to dress for it. Some just apparently took off into the blizzard wearing nothing but their coronation dress," said Kristoff teasingly.

"Heh-heh. You do have a point there," said Anna while sheepishly chuckling.

"You really did that?" asked Kairi with a laugh.

"Yes. I wasn't really good at thinking things through back then," said Anna.

"So, Kairi, how's Sora been anyway? We haven't seen him since Elsa brought back summer," said Olaf.

Kairi's smile vanished as she sat down on a nearby barrel. "So, I guess that means none of you have seen him lately."

Kristoff suddenly became confused. "Um no. Should we have?"

Anna took notice of Kairi's change in mood. "Kairi, what's wrong? Did something happen to him?" she asked with concern.

Kairi silently considered how to tell them about Sora's fate knowing that she would have to withhold certain information. _'Last world, even though Peter was aware of the other worlds, I couldn't tell him the whole truth because I didn't think he and the Lost Boys would understand. Now I'm with someone who might be able to understand but doesn't know about the other worlds. It's times like these I really hate the world order rules because they cause us to be dishonest in the name of protection.'_

"Yes, Your Majesty. Something really bad happened to Sora and he's been lost ever since. That's why Pluto and I have come to your kingdom. We've been trying to find him. But so far, we haven't had any luck," said Kairi hanging her head.

Then, Kairi felt someone take her right hand. She looked and saw it was Olaf. The snowman gazed at her with sympathy.

"That's so awful. No one should be apart from their friends," said Olaf.

_'I agree with you completely, Olaf. Unfortunately, it's happened too many times for me,'_ thought Kairi.

As Olaf continued to hold Kairi's hand, Pluto nuzzled up against Kairi's leg to comfort her. In addition, Sven approached her and nuzzled her shoulder in sympathy. Kairi gave a grateful smile to the three of them for their gestures of comfort.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Kristoff.

"Unless you can give me any hint on where Sora is, I don't think there is," said Kairi.

Anna gazed at Kairi and saw an all-too familiar pain. _'It's that same pain that I felt all those years separated from Elsa. Although I'd say hers is even greater because even though Elsa and I were apart, at least I knew where she was.'_

The princess of Arendelle placed her hand on Kairi's shoulder. "We may not have anything that could you help you find him, Kairi. But we'll help you in any way that we can. Right, boys?" asked Anna to which Kristoff, Sven and Olaf nodded.

"You will?" asked Kairi.

"Of course. We had problems with those Heartless monsters when Elsa set off that eternal winter. Though I don't fully understand it, I've had a feeling that Sora, Donald and Goofy did something to make them go away," said Kristoff.

"Oh yes they did! And my little brother told me he helped them fight off a really big one too!" exclaimed Olaf.

"And though I can't explain it but I have a feeling that we owe Sora a great debt. So, the least we could do is help you find some sort of clue to wherever he is. Maybe we can ask around the kingdom and see if anyone's seen him," said Anna.

"We could even go the Valley of Living Rock and ask Grand Pabbie if he can help," said Kristoff.

"I'm sure we'll find Sora in no time!" exclaimed Olaf as Sven grunted in equal enthusiasm.

Kairi's heart rose upon hearing her new friends' ideas. _'It's touching how they're all willing to help despite just meeting me. Sora, you've definitely made your mark on so many hearts throughout the worlds. Maybe, with their help, I'll find some sort of clue to find you.'_

"And while we help you, Kairi, I insist that you and your dog stay here at the castle as our guests," said Anna.

Kairi gasped in surprise. "Oh no, Your Majesty. I don't think you need to go that far."

Then, suddenly, Kairi's stomach let out a loud growl causing everyone else to chuckle.

"You're not going to help Sora without a good meal and some good rest. As princess of Arendelle, I will not take no for an answer," said Anna.

"I guess you're right. I do have some Potions and Elixirs in my pack. But they don't compare to a real meal. And I guess sleeping in a castle beats camping out in the forest," said Kairi.

"So it's settled. But one more thing, Kairi," said Anna with a serious look on her face.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" asked Kairi nervously.

Anna's face softened into a friendly smile. "None of this calling me, 'Your Majesty' anymore. You can just call me Anna. And the same will go for Elsa too. You're a friend of Sora so that makes you our friend too."

Kairi smiled back. "Thanks, Your Majes…I mean, Anna. And thank all of you for wanting to help me find Sora."

"Yay! It's been less than a day and Kairi's already staying for a sleepover!" shouted Olaf with glee.

Anna giggled at her friend's statement before her tone became serious again. "Yes. It will be nice to have a guest here that we can actually stand," she said with a disdainful look on her face.

"Now, Anna, let's not go through this again," said Kristoff.

"I can't help it. I still can't believe Elsa actually allowed him to set foot in Arendelle after what he tried to do," said Anna folding her arms.

"What's going on?" asked Kairi.

Kristoff rubbed the back of his head and said, "Don't get us wrong, Kairi. We're glad to meet you and have you as our guest. But you have come at a pretty difficult time."

"Yes," said Olaf gesturing for Kairi to lean in closer to him so he could whisper his next statement in her ear.

"The Weasel's come back."

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**__ Three guesses who the Weasel is and the first two don't count. I didn't actually plan for Oaken to appear initially. But I decided it would be nice for Kairi to meet a few Disney characters that Sora didn't much like the Lost Boys in Never Land. I even threw in a reference to Oaken's musical number from the Broadway show (and if you ask me, that number was a very bizarre addition to the story.) One final note: the Mad Doctor is now on Tumblr! I'll be posting the chapters of this story in addition to some small pieces of writing discussing my Kingdom Hearts headcanons! Also. I'll be finding and reblogging various fan stuff centered around Sora and Kairi (my one true pairing of this franchise just in case you haven't gotten the hint LOL). Just search for maddrmatt in Tumblr and hope you like what you see in Mad Dr. Matt's SoKai Archives! I give my thanks to everyone who read this chapter and special thanks to heart for their review. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	20. Ch 18: A Rift Between Sisters

_**Disclaimer: **__The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **__Greetings readers! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Updates to this story are going to be less frequent due to a few things. One of them being the fact that I've been working on a story I hope to have completed in time for this year's SoKai Week! Hopefully, I will succeed and provide you with something enjoyable. But for right now, let's get back to Kairi in Arendelle. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 18: A Rift Between Sisters**

**Arendelle**

"You can wait here with the boys for now, Kairi. I'll be back soon with Elsa after I tell her about you and why you're here," said Anna as she led Kairi into a small sitting room in the castle followed by Pluto, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf.

"Okay, Anna," said Kairi.

"Hopefully she's finally done with him. Honestly, tomorrow can't come soon enough," said Anna bitterly as she exited the room.

Kairi made her way over to a nearby couch and sat down. Pluto leapt on the left side of her and laid his head in her lap as she stroked him gently. Olaf plopped himself on Kairi's right and smiled at her.

Kristoff sat down in a chair across from them and let out a deep sigh. "Tomorrow can't come soon enough for me either. I'm just glad this will all be over soon," he said as Sven sat down on the floor beside him.

"Me too," Kristoff said in his Sven voice.

"Kristoff? If you don't mind me asking, who is this Duke of Weselton you've all been talking about?" asked Kairi.

"I can answer that question, Kairi. He's a duke and he comes from a place called Weselton. It's not too hard to understand, is it?" asked Olaf causing Kairi to smile a little.

"I think she needs a little more information than that, Olaf," said Kristoff as Sven nodded in agreement. "Well, Kairi, he's a dignitary from what used to be Arendelle's closest partner in trade,"

"Used to be? You mean, they're not anymore?" asked Kairi.

"No. And the reason why is during the time when Elsa accidentally started an eternal winter, he ordered his bodyguards to kill her in an attempt to end it."

Kairi gasped. "That's horrible!"

"Yes. So, when Elsa brought back summer, she had the Duke and his men returned to their homeland and cut off the trade agreement between Arendelle and Weselton."

Kairi looked confused. "But if he tried to have her killed, then why has he been allowed to return here?"

"Apparently, he wants to apologize for what he did, and he believed the only way to show that he meant it was to do it in person," said Kristoff.

"And do you all believe he's sincere?"

"Elsa seems to think so. But Anna believes he's still up to no good. Me? Well, I don't think he'd try anything especially now that Elsa's got her powers under control. But I think this whole apology thing is just him trying to get the trade agreement reinstated. All I'm really hoping is that once he's gone, things will get back to normal between Anna and Elsa," said Kristoff.

"What do you mean? Have they been fighting?" asked Kairi.

"Not exactly. I mean, they haven't stopped speaking to each other. But due to their disagreement on the Duke's visit, things have been pretty frosty between the two of them. Everyone in the castle can all see it," said Kristoff.

"I still don't understand it. They're not just sisters but best friends too. Why would things get bad between them like this?" asked Olaf.

"I can answer that for you, Olaf and the sad fact is, sisters and best friends don't always agree on everything. And that can sometimes lead to things being strained between them for some time," said Kairi. _'I certainly know what that's like.'_

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Olaf. If I know Anna and Elsa, they'll patch things up in time. They've been through too much to let something like this split them up again," said Kristoff.

Olaf smiled. "You're right! Once the Weasel goes home, they'll go right back to being best friends again," said the snowman as Sven nodded.

"I'm sorry that I came at such a bad time. Maybe it's too much to ask all of you for your help in finding Sora now," said Kairi.

"Don't say that, Kairi. You couldn't have known how things were when you arrived. And if there's one thing that may ease the tension around here after all this, it'll be helping you find your friend," said Kristoff.

* * *

Elsewhere in the castle, Anna approached the door to the audience chamber. Pressing her ear to the door, she listened to what was going on within.

"Thank you again, Your Majesty, for allowing me to come to your kingdom as well as accepting my apology. I only wish I could apologize to your sister personally," said a male voice.

"My sister has made it clear she does not wish to see you presently so I will accept your apology to both of us on her behalf. And I thank you, Duke, for abiding by our conditions as well as not bringing up the subject of trade between our homelands because my decision still stands," stated a female voice.

In spite of herself, Anna smiled. _'That's telling him, Elsa. If that was what he was after all along, then way to beat him to the punch.'_

"I assure you, Your Majesty, the thought of that never even crossed my mind. All I wish is for relations to improve between our homelands and hopefully, someday you can both fully forgive my atrocious behavior," said the voice of the Duke.

_'No chance of that!'_ thought Anna.

"We shall see. But for the time being, shall we consider our business concluded?" asked Elsa's voice.

"Of course, Your Majesty. I shall depart for Weselton tomorrow morning. Once again, thank you for everything," said the Duke as the sound of his footsteps approached the door causing Anna to move away and flatten herself against the wall.

The door opened and out strolled, with an air of quiet dignity, a short man dressed in a fancy uniform. He wore glasses perched on his pointed nose and he had a gray-haired moustache and matching hair although Anna knew his hair to be a toupee.

Neither he nor the Arendelle guard who was escorting him took notice of Anna. They just continued to walk away until they turned a corner and were out of her sight. She stared in the direction they had gone with disgust as she recalled the moment where the subject of his return had first come up and caused the current rift to form between her and her sister.

* * *

**Arendelle, A Few Months Earlier**

Seated behind her desk in the royal study, the Queen of Arendelle looked over a certain letter for nearly the fiftieth time. Suddenly, a familiar knock on the door was heard.

"Come in!" she called.

The door opened up and in stepped her sister. She wore a look of bewilderment to Elsa's confusion.

"What is it?" inquired Elsa.

"Sorry. It still feels a little strange to actually be let in," said Anna with a little chuckle.

Elsa chuckled herself. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, it's just as strange for me actually doing the letting in."

Anna laughed and then said, "Anyway, Gerda said you needed to talk to me about something so what is it?"

"Well, Anna, we just received a letter from the Duke of Weselton," said Elsa indicating the letter in question in her hand.

Anna groaned in frustration. "What does he want? Is he begging you to reinstate trade between Arendelle and Weselton which I hope the answer is no?"

"It's actually not about that at all, Anna. Why don't read it yourself and see? It's actually addressed to you as well," asked Elsa holding out the letter.

With a look of confusion, Anna walked over to her sister and took the letter from her. She then began to read it over.

* * *

_To Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle,_

_ I do not know if this letter will be read by either of you on account that I have no right to expect such a thing. But if you are reading this, then I thank you in advance for I have something that needs to be said._

_ I wish to offer my sincerest apologies for my conduct during my last visit to your kingdom. Having had much time to reflect, I am deeply ashamed of the way I spoke and acted when things took an unusual turn at the coronation._

_ Please understand that the shocking revelation of the queen's abilities as well as the possibility of perishing overcame me with fear. And because of that, I acted in a very inexcusable manner and for that, I am truly sorry._

_ I know my words in this letter will not be enough to convey my regrets. Therefore, if you will allow me to, I wish to travel to your kingdom and offer a more formal apology in person. Only then can I believe my conscience will be truly clear._

_ Once again, I apologize, and I do hope you will consider my request. I do not wish for there to be any hard feelings between us or our homelands._

_Yours sincerely,_

_The Duke of Weselton_

* * *

Anna reread the letter making sure she didn't miss a single word. Finally, she lowered the letter and burst out laughing.

"He has got to be kidding. He must really be desperate for that trade agreement if he's pretending to beg for forgiveness now. Good thing we're too smart to fall for it, right Elsa?" asked Anna looking to her sister who, much to her surprise, wasn't instantly agreeing with her.

"Elsa?"

"Anna, please don't overreact to this. But after reading the letter several times, I have been considering granting the Duke's request."

Anna let out a gasp of horror. "You can't be serious, Elsa!"

"Anna, please calm down," said Elsa rising from her chair and approaching her now seething sister.

"The Duke isn't one of my favorite people either. But part of ruling a kingdom is maintaining civil relations with our neighbors even those we aren't particularly fond of. And judging from his letter, it seems that he is sincere in wanting to apologize for his actions and I think it would be unwise to just ignore that," said the queen of Arendelle.

"So, send him a letter telling him his apology is accepted and there's no need for him to come in person. Then that'll be the end of it," said Anna.

"Anna, it's not that simple."

"I don't want him coming within a hundred miles of us after what he tried to do."

"No one can defend what he did. But unlike… you-know-who, he didn't come to the coronation to cause trouble right from the start. When my powers were revealed and I plunged the land into a dangerous winter, he got scared. And having spent a large part of my life afraid of what my powers could do uncontrolled, I can't really blame him for it," said Elsa.

"He called you a monster, Elsa! He tried to have you killed!"

"Anna, for the longest time, I myself believed that I was a monster. Hearing it from him was no different. And you can't deny that my powers are capable of great harm when uncontrolled. You should know that better than anyone. Even if the Duke hadn't tried to kill me to stop the winter, someone else with better intentions might've done the same," said Elsa.

Anna folded her arms and considered her sister's words. She could understand why some people like the Duke of Weselton would be scared of Elsa's powers and make bad choices because of that fear. She had, after all, witnessed the destruction caused by Elsa's uncontrolled powers and had a close call with death because of it. Still, despite Elsa's logic, she still felt that allowing the Duke to return to Arendelle was a mistake.

Elsa took her sister's hands into her own. "I know you just want to protect me from him, Anna, and I appreciate that. But trust me. I'm not going to allow back into Arendelle unless he's willing to follow certain conditions."

Anna let out a sigh of resignation. "Okay. If you think this is necessary to maintain good relations, then I guess we don't have a choice. But I want to help set the conditions, one being that I don't to have to interact with him anymore than necessary and another being that he is not to bother Kristoff, Sven, Olaf or anyone else while he's here among other things."

"You'll have your say in that, Anna, as long as you remember to be reasonable. But before we start on that, maybe you should calm down a little," said Elsa.

Anna huffed. "Fine. I guess I'll go tell the boys what's going to happen and to prepare themselves for a visit from Weasel Town. I'll see you later," she said frostily as she exited the study.

Elsa sighed as she went back to her desk. Before beginning to look over more paperwork, she glanced at a picture on the wall of Anna and herself with their deceased parents, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna.

_'Mama, Papa, I knew when I became queen, there would have to be some tough decisions especially ones that Anna and I wouldn't completely agree on. I can only hope I'm doing what's best for us and for Arendelle.'_

* * *

**Arendelle, Present Time**

_'He'd better behave himself for this night or so help me, he's going to have to answer to me,'_ thought Anna before taking a deep breath to calm herself. _'All right, Anna. I know things haven't been good between you and Elsa lately. But right now, you need to put that aside if you want to help Kairi.'_

Anna immediately entered through the opened doors and into the audience chamber. Sitting on a throne directly in front of her was her sister. Elsa had her eyes closed and looked like she was relieved that the meeting was over.

A feeling of sympathy for her sister came over Anna. _'I guess the meeting wasn't easy on her. Then again, being in the same room with someone who tried to have you killed wouldn't be easy on anyone.'_

A few moments passed before Elsa opened her eyes and beheld her sister standing in front of her. "Oh, Anna!" she exclaimed.

"Hi, Elsa. So, is that it? Are we finally done with him?" asked Anna.

"Yes. For now, at least. There may come a time when we have to deal with him again in the future. But it is all in the name of diplomacy," said Elsa.

"I know. Even if we may not ever be friends, we have to keep things civil between us as you've told me repeatedly. Personally, I hope the next time we see him won't happen for a good long while. But anyway, Elsa, our next order of business has come up," said Anna.

Elsa snapped to attention with a confused look. "Next order of business? What are you talking about?"

"We have an unexpected guest. And right now, she needs our help," said Anna

Elsa's confusion increased. But she paid close attention as Anna related what had happened while she was meeting with the Duke.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the sitting room, Kairi was getting to know her new friends a little better. Currently, Kristoff was telling stories of his life before he lived in the palace.

"So, these trolls took you in and made you a part of their family?" asked Kairi.

"Yep. They may be a little overbearing and embarrassing at times. But I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. The day they took Sven and me in was one of the best days of my life. And looking back on that day right now, it seems even better," said the ice harvester.

"Why is that?" asked Kairi.

Kristoff blushed for a second before blurting out in his Sven voice, "It was the day he first saw Anna!"

"Sven!" exclaimed Kristoff pretending as if the reindeer had exposed something he didn't want to be heard. The reindeer just made a laughing sound.

"Aww!" exclaimed Kairi.

"It's true. That was the first day I saw Anna. Who would've thought that years later, she, a princess and me, an ice harvester, would be a couple?" asked Kristoff.

"I bet the trolls always knew. They are love experts, after all!" exclaimed Olaf.

Kairi giggled. "I guess we have something in common, Kristoff. After I lost my old home, I was taken in by a pretty loving couple who have been nothing but the most wonderful parents I could ask for."

A twinge of sadness came over her. _'I can only hope they'll forgive me for just running away again.'_

Pluto sensed Kairi's sadness and nuzzled further into her lap. Kairi smiled and stroked his head.

"That same day was also when I met Sora. He was the one who found me, and I will never forget how he smiled and held out his hand for me to take," said Kairi as a little blush appeared on her cheeks.

Olaf giggled. "Sounds like he's a pretty special friend to you."

"Yes. Yes, he is," said Kairi almost dreamingly.

Suddenly, the door opened and in strolled Anna and Elsa. Kairi immediately leapt to her feet as Elsa approached her. The Princess of Heart bowed before the queen.

Elsa smiled. "You must be Kairi. As queen of Arendelle, I welcome you to our kingdom and our castle."

Kairi rose up and returned Elsa's smile with one of her own. "Thank you, Your Majesty. This is my dog, Pluto," she said indicating her companion next to her who barked happily at the queen.

Elsa chuckled. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you. But it's not necessary to be so formal, Kairi. You may just call me Elsa."

"I did say you could call her by name, Kairi," reminded Anna.

"Did you forget that already?" asked Olaf.

"No, I didn't. It's just that my father always taught me to be formal until you got permission to be casual. I just needed to hear it from Elsa herself first," said Kairi.

"Your father should be proud that he raised such a polite young lady. Now, Kairi, Anna tells me that there is a very important reason you've come to Arendelle," said Elsa.

Before Kairi could say anything, Olaf chimed in, "Yes, Elsa! Sora's missing and we've got to help Kairi find him!"

"What Olaf said, Elsa. I hope that there's something in your kingdom that can possibly lead me to him. If you could help me find some sort of clue to where he is, I'll be forever grateful," said Kairi.

Elsa placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "If there is, we'll help you find it. You have my word that we'll spare no effort. But we can start our search tomorrow. Right now, it's late and Anna's told me you're in need of a good meal and a good rest. So, would you and your dog care to join us for dinner?"

"We'd love to. But you really don't mind having a dog dining with you?" asked Kairi.

"We already have a reindeer usually joining us for meals nowadays so a dog isn't a too unusual addition," said Anna gesturing to Sven who gave a big smile.

Kairi laughed before she realized something. "Will the other guest be joining us?"

"No," said Anna and Elsa simultaneously although Elsa used a calm tone while Anna's tone sounded as if she had just heard Kairi say something rude.

Elsa gave her sister a small glare of annoyance before turning back to Kairi and saying, "As one of the conditions of his visit here, the Duke is not allowed to dine with us. He must take his meals in his room."

"Trust me, Kairi. You'll be better off if you never have to meet him. In fact, we'd all be better off if we'd never saw him again!" exclaimed Anna as she turned around and left the room.

"Anna!" exclaimed Elsa as she turned to watch her sister stomp off. She let out a deep sigh.

Kristoff rose from his chair and walked over to Elsa. "Don't worry, Elsa. I'm sure she'll be okay once the Duke leaves."

"I hope you're right, Kristoff. I hate that it's been like this for these past weeks," said Elsa.

"We'd better go calm her down. We'll see you later in the dining hall. Olaf, Sven, let's go," said Kristoff as he left with the snowman and reindeer following him.

Elsa turned back to Kairi. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Oh no. I'm sorry I said the wrong thing. It's just after what Kristoff told me about the Duke of Weselton, I'm not too sure that I want to meet him myself."

"I've had Gerda make up a room for you in a different part of the castle from where he is and since he is leaving tomorrow, I doubt you'll cross paths with him. But in the meantime, let me show you to the dining hall," said Elsa as she turned around and left with Kairi and Pluto walking alongside her.

As they travelled through the halls, Kairi mused on the things she had learned. _'I'd better watch myself around here while this Duke's here. After what he tried to do when he found out about Elsa's powers, I'd hate to see how he'd react if he saw a Keyblade Wielder in action. He sounds like the kind of person who would command the Heartless or worse, become one.'_

Kairi then regarded the queen and saw the sad look on her face. _'It's so awful that his presence here is making things hard between Anna and Elsa. Seems I'm not the only Princess of Heart having trouble with loved ones.'_

Between the search for Sora, the rift between Anna and Elsa and the presence of this Duke, Kairi never imagined a visit to another world would be filled with so much drama. She could only hope that things would improve soon enough.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor:**_ _It's hard writing Anna and Elsa like this since most of the time, everything's good between them. But I imagine that like most sisters, they would be times when they would have some disagreements (Frozen II being a major example). There actually have been some official comics and stories in which the sisters encounter the Duke of Weselton again and though he isn't as antagonistic to them as he was in the movie, they really aren't friends. So, readers, are you with Anna or Elsa on the subject of the Duke? I'd like to hear what you think. I give my thanks to everyone who read this chapter and special thanks to technovorex and AnimeMaster24 for their reviews. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	21. Ch 19: Speaking of Sora

_**Disclaimer: **_

_The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **_

_Greetings readers! I'm back with more of the Epic Journey! Hopefully, some of you checked out my SoKai Week 2020 contribution Evening's Repose. Anyway, this chapter introduces another recurring element for this story. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 19: Speaking of Sora**

**Arendelle**

As dusk fell on Arendelle, Kairi exited the private bathroom that was attached to the guestroom that had been provided to her. She had just finished up her nighttime routine and had changed into a nightgown she had packed into her knapsack.

Of course, she still had the Wayfinder around her neck. She was determined to keep it with her even when she slept.

Going up to the fourposter bed, she fell backwards onto it and let out a contented sigh. She turned to Pluto, who was already on the foot of the bed.

"I don't know about you, Pluto. But I'm pretty glad the Wayfinder brought us to a world where we got both good food and a good bed," she said as Pluto barked to show his agreement.

Kairi patted her stomach which was now full of an absolutely delicious meal served by the castle's kitchen staff. Then a little sadness came to her face.

_'The food was great. But I probably would have enjoyed it more if Anna wasn't acting so frosty to her sister. We all felt it throughout the whole meal.'_

Kairi's sadness increased. _'Like I'm one to talk. I've been giving my friends the cold shoulder for the past month. But I'd be perfectly willing to put this all behind us if only they'd admit they were wrong in giving up the search for Sora.'_

A knock on the door was heard. "Come in!" called Kairi sitting up on the edge of the bed.

The door opened and in stepped Elsa dressed in her own nightgown. "Hello Kairi. I just thought I'd check in on you before turning in for the night. Is the room to you and your dog's liking?"

"Oh yes. Thanks again for letting us stay here. Although, I must admit that I'm not too used to staying in such extravagance," said Kairi.

"There's something you and Kristoff have in common. He was more used to simpler accommodations before he started living here," said the queen.

"I can understand why. Also, I may not be familiar with royal etiquette, but is it typical for the queen herself to look in on her guests before bedtime?"

Elsa chuckled. "Not usually. But for friends, I make an exception."

"Don't you mean friends of a friend as Olaf would say?" asked Kairi amusedly. _'Boy, that little guy's rubbing off on me.'_

But, much to Kairi's surprise, Elsa didn't laugh at the joke. In fact, the queen seemed a little regretful.

"Elsa? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

"No, Kairi. You didn't. It's just…I don't think I have a right to call myself a friend of Sora's.

Kairi gave a look of confusion. "Would you like to tell me why you think that?" she asked as she gestured to a spot on the bed next to her.

Elsa nodded and walked into the room. After sitting next to Kairi on the bed, she turned to the Princess of Heart. "I'm sure Sora would count Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf among his friends. But I don't think he would count me. Not after what I did."

"What do you mean?"

"When I first met him along with Donald and Goofy, I was running away from my kingdom. My powers had been revealed to Anna and everyone else and all I wanted to do to get away so I wouldn't hurt anyone. But when Sora saw what I could do, he actually wasn't afraid. He was surprised, of course, but after, he seemed concerned about me."

"That's Sora for you. If he feels someone needs help, he'll be the one to offer it. It's always been one of his best qualities," said Kairi. _'Biggest heart in all the worlds.'_

Elsa's frown deepened. "But instead of accepting his help, I did what I had always done: I shut him out. And even though we parted on good terms after I lifted the winter, I started feel even worse about it after I heard how much he and his friends had done to protect Arendelle from those Heartless monsters. So, I wouldn't blame him if he didn't consider me a friend."

Kairi smiled at the queen. "Elsa, take it from me when I say that Sora wouldn't hold that against you. In fact, from what I heard from him, Donald and Goofy, they kept trying to find you to make sure you were okay."

"Really?" asked Elsa.

Kairi nodded. "Trust me. In spite of how you first met, Sora would still consider you as a friend and help you in anyway he could. I bet if he were here now, he'd probably even be trying to help you and Anna fix things," said Kairi.

Elsa sighed. "That would be nice. But I'm sure once the Duke is gone, Anna and I can put this behind us."

"Still, it can't be easy fighting with your sister like this," said Kairi.

"No, it hasn't. But I can understand why Anna's been so against this. She's really just trying to protect me," said Elsa.

"Because of what happened during your coronation?" asked Kairi causing Elsa to look at her in surprise. "Kristoff told me what the Duke tried to do. He also told me about that prince who tricked Anna into an engagement and tried to take over your kingdom. I can't believe someone would play around with someone's heart like that."

"Yes. Having had two different attempts on my life in such a short amount of time was quite the ordeal for both of us. And that's why I can't blame Anna for being like this during the Duke's visit," said Elsa.

Then, to Kairi's surprise, Elsa let out a small chuckle. "It's a little funny when I think about it. I'm the eldest sister and the one with the magical powers. And yet, Anna seems to think she has to be the one to protect me."

"I know the feeling. I've seen how much Sora's done, and I know what he's capable of. And yet, there's nothing I wanted more than be one who he could count on to protect him," said Kairi as her smile faded. _'And I failed horribly.'_

Elsa gave Kairi a look of sympathy. "Kairi, we'll do all we can to help you find Sora. We owe him a great debt for protecting Arendelle. That being said, there is one thing that is concerning me about this situation. Now don't take this the wrong way. But I, along with Anna and Krisoff, have a feeling that you haven't exactly told us everything about what happened to him. Knowing a little more could really help us help you."

Kairi gazed at Elsa sadly. "I'd like to, Elsa. But I really can't. I'm sorry."

Elsa gave a gentle smile to the girl. "No, it's okay, Kairi. Don't feel bad about it. I can see that it must be a really difficult subject for you to talk about. Just know that you can talk to any of us when you feel ready to."

Kairi smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Elsa."

"Now you'd better get some sleep. We have quite a few things to do tomorrow. But if you need anything during the night, don't hesitate to call for Gerda or any of the servants. Good night, Kairi. See you in the morning," said Elsa as she got up from the bed.

"Good night, Elsa," said Kairi as the queen left the room.

Kairi then turned to Pluto. The dog gave her a concerned expression. The girl let out a sigh as she petted him on the head.

"I really wish I could tell them, Pluto. Tell them everything. About the Keyblade War and how Sora was really lost. But you and I both know that's impossible."

Pluto whimpered in sympathy. Kairi gave a sad smile to her companion.

"Let's get some sleep. Hopefully tomorrow, we'll find something in this world that can help us find Sora," said Kairi.

With that, Kairi got into the bed as Pluto settled in his place at the foot. Laying her head down on the pillow and pulling the covers up to her neck, it wasn't too long before she fell asleep.

* * *

**?**

A short while later, Kairi's eyes opened. Much to her surprise, she was no longer in her room in Arendelle.

She was now floating down a tunnel of darkness. Up ahead, there was what appeared to be a portal of bright light that seemed to glow brighter as she got closer.

'_What's going on?'_ she thought.

Soon, the light encompassed her completely. Kairi raised her hand and covered her eyes. She held her hand there for a few moments until she lowered it and finally saw where she had arrived to her shock.

She was now standing in the middle of an endless expanse of sea and sky. It was a place Kairi recognized and knew all too well.

'_This is…this is the place where…'_ she thought before a familiar voice interrupted her pondering.

"Kairi!"

Kairi gasped. _'Sora?'_

Kairi turned to the right. There, standing a short distance away with his back to her, was Sora.

"Kairi, where are you?" he called with his hands cupped around his mouth.

"Sora! I'm over here!" Kairi called back.

Sora turned in the direction of her voice. But to her surprise, he didn't look overjoyed. Instead, he looked extremely worried.

"Kairi! Answer me! Where are you?" he shouted again.

"Huh? Sora, I'm right here in front of you! Can't you see me?" asked Kairi waving her arm.

Then, from nowhere, a familiar voice cried out, "Sora!"

To both Sora and Kairi's surprise, a familiar form materialized between them. Their eyes opened wide when they saw who it was.

"Chirithy!" exclaimed Sora.

"I didn't expect to see you back here so soon. What's happening?" asked the Dream Eater.

Kairi was absolutely baffled. _'He can see and hear Chirithy but he can't see or hear me? Seriously, what is happening?'_

"I don't have time to explain everything, Chirithy. But maybe you could help me. Have you seen a girl show up here recently? She's dressed in pink and has red hair and indigo eyes. I've got to find her!" exclaimed Sora urgently.

Chirithy shook its head. "I'm sorry, Sora. I haven't seen anybody who looks like that. I don't think it would even be possible. Remember, usually only hearts reach this world and not the bodies they belong to. You were a major exception."

Sora turned away from Chirithy. He collapsed to his knees and pounded his right hand on the ground. He looked like he was about to cry.

Kairi's heart ached when she saw the boy who meant so much to her look so despondent. She wanted to hold him in her arms so very much. But since he apparently couldn't see or hear her, she doubted he would even be able to feel her embrace if she even tried to.

"But something unusual did arrive here very recently. Maybe it's connected to who you're looking for," said Chirithy.

Sora rose to his feet and faced the Dream Eater. "Could you show it to me? Please?"

"Of course. Follow me," said Chirithy as it scampered away with Sora following close behind.

Kairi stood where she was. Her mind was reeling as she tried to make sense of what she had just witnessed. Finally, it hit her.

'_This must be a memory. One of Sora's that must've happened after he defeated Xehanort and went to find me. But how is it that I'm seeing this now and why?'_

With no answer to her question, Kairi then began to chase after Sora and Chirithy. _'I do know one thing for certain: I'm not leaving Sora's side even if he can't see or hear me.'_

* * *

Through the expanse of the world, Kairi followed the boy she loved as he followed the little Dream Eater. As she ran, she heard the various mutterings of the stars all around them. Normally, Kairi would've stopped to listen to their tales. But she could not lose sight of Sora no matter what.

Finally, Sora and Chirithy stopped. Kairi stopped as well and the three of them beheld what stood before them.

It looked like some kind of translucent dark orb rooted to the ground by black tendrils. Within the orb, hovering in mid-air, was a glowing pink shard of crystal.

"Chirithy, what is that? Is it a heart?" asked Sora.

"Yes, but not a full one, actually," responded Chirithy.

Sora looked confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"What we are looking at, Sora, is a crystallized piece of a heart. It was very strange, actually. When I saw this shard arrive here, it rooted itself to this world with those dark tendrils. It's almost as if whatever divided this heart and sent it here wanted it to remain here. But I have no idea why," said Chirithy.

Sora approached the dark structure. As he got close to it, an odd feeling came over him and he clutched his heart. Then his eyes opened wide.

"Kairi! This is a piece of Kairi's heart! I know it is! I can feel it!" he exclaimed.

Then his excitement was replaced by confusion. "But why would Xehanort want it to remain in this world?" he wondered.

"Hold on, Sora. Maybe you'd better explain a few things first. What exactly happened to your friend?" asked Chirithy.

Sora gazed downward and clenched his fist. "This…monster named Xehanort is what happened to her. He destroyed her in front of me to goad me into fighting with him to forge the χ-blade."

Chirithy let out a gasp. "Someone was actually trying to recreate that?! But that would mean he would have the power of Kingdom Hearts itself at his command!"

"That's exactly what he was trying to do. And like a fool, I played into right into his hands," said Sora who almost sounded on the verge of crying.

'_No, Sora. It's not your fault. It was mine. If I had only been stronger, this never would've happened,'_ thought Kairi wishing she could tell Sora that very notion.

Chirithy tapped its chin with its paw. "Hmm. That still doesn't explain everything. If all this Xehanort had to do was get you to fight with him, why go through all the trouble of fragmenting your friend's heart and then planting the pieces of them here? Is there anything particularly special about your friend's heart?"

"Well, she is one of the Seven Princesses of Heart," said Sora.

Chirithy gasped in surprise. "She's one of the Seven Pure Lights?"

"Yes. That's why we were fighting against Xehanort and his Organization even though we knew it's exactly what he wanted us to do. If we didn't, they would've gone after Kairi and the other Princesses to forge the χ-blade."

A feeling of dread came over Kairi as she considered the thought of the Organization going after the Princesses of Heart. _'All the princesses and their friends probably would have stood no chance against them. We barely stood a chance against them. Especially me.'_

Then Sora let out a gasp of realization. "That it! Xehanort always had backup plans. In fact, he even had backup plans for his backup plans!"

"I don't quite understand what you're getting at, Sora," said Chirithy.

"Don't you see? If our clash at the Keyblade Graveyard didn't work out for him, he could've still used Kairi and the Princesses in another plan to acquire the χ-blade. That must be why he sent the pieces of her heart here so he could retrieve them later if he needed to," said Sora.

"Well, I guess that does make sense," said Chirithy.

"So, if the pieces of Kairi's heart are here in this world, all I have to do to get her back is use the Power of Waking to track them all down and restore her!" exclaimed Sora.

"No, Sora! Don't do that!" shouted Kairi even though she knew it was futile.

"First, I'll set this piece of heart free and then I'll go find the others," said Sora as he summoned Kingdom Key and pointed it at the dark tendrils.

"Wait, Sora!" exclaimed Chirithy.

Sora stopped in his tracks. "What is it, Chirithy?"

"This plan of yours; I don't think it's the right way to bring your friend back."

Sora turned back to the Dream Eater with a look of confusion on his face. "What do you mean? I did it before. I used the Power of Waking to track down and save Riku and the others when the Demon Tide consumed all of us."

"Yes, but that's not the way the Power of Waking is supposed to be used at all. And if you misuse it that way to save your friend, it may end up costing you more than you expect," said Chirithy.

Sora reflected on Chirithy's words. In addition, the warnings of Young Xehanort and King Mickey about the Power of Waking were ringing through his mind. Still, something didn't add up.

"But Chirithy, when I asked you if the Power of Waking was how I could save the others before, you didn't seem to have problem with it. Why are you against it now?" asked Sora.

Chirithy sighed. "I'm sorry, Sora. I wasn't trying to mislead you. Let me explain. Remember when I told you when we first met that something was tethering you to this world and preventing you from passing beyond?"

Sora nodded in response. But his confused expression remained.

"Well, I believed that the same thing would also allow you to use the Power of Waking to save your friends without any risk of the consequences. And since you were able to pull it off, it appears I was right. But that is not the case anymore. Whatever tether you had back then, it's gone now and that's why you shouldn't go through with this plan. Maybe you should try to discover how Xehanort planned to retrieve the pieces of her heart. It may be a safer way," said Chirithy.

Sora looked as if he was considering Chirithy's words. Then he glanced back to the shard of Kairi's heart entrapped in the dark structure.

Kairi felt a tremendous sympathy for Sora. _'It's such a painful irony. Since I was the one who kept Sora from fading away, he was able to save everyone else without anything bad happening to him. But when it comes to saving me, he's forced to risk everything.'_

Sora turned back to Chirithy. "I'm sorry, Chirithy. But I can't do that."

Chirithy made a gesture of surprise. "But why?"

"You said the only reason I was able to save everyone is because something was keeping me from fading away. Well, that something was a someone and that someone was Kairi," said Sora.

Chirithy gave another surprised gesture. "So that was what held you here the first time! It was a special connection to one of the Seven Pure Lights!" it exclaimed.

"That's right. It's knowing that she always believed in me that's enabled me to do the things I've done. And I'm not going to leave her like this: shattered and scattered around this world. Not for one more second. I don't care how risky it is because she's worth every risk," stated Sora.

Chirithy stared at the Keyblade Wielder. "She really does mean a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"More than you'll ever know."

Kairi's heart sank. While it did feel good to hear Sora speak so highly of his devotion to her, it also had the unfortunate effect of making her feel even more guilty about what he was about to do.

The Dream Eater sighed. "I guess I can't stop you, can I? Very well then. Do what you believe you have to do."

Sora gave a smile to Chirithy and then turned back to the heart shard. Raising his Keyblade, he pointed it at the base of the structure.

Summoning all his strength, Sora shot a beam of light from Kingdom Key. Upon striking the dark structure, it immediately disintegrated. The freed heart shard hovered over to Sora.

"Kairi," he said as he watched it circle around him like a halo.

In spite of herself, Kairi had to smile. _'Even a piece of my heart knows that it's safe with Sora.'_

"Just be careful, Sora. There's no telling how many pieces of Kairi's heart are out there and if this Xehanort had his own plans for them, acquiring them will probably be more difficult than this one," warned Chirithy.

"You're probably right. Freeing this one did seem a little too easy especially since Xehanort was the one who set it up. He may have set up a few nasty surprises to protect the other ones. But I need to take that chance. I promised to keep Kairi safe and when I make a promise to her, I always keep it. Wish me luck!" said Sora as closed his eyes and raised his Keyblade as he prepared to use the Power of Waking to bring him to the next shard.

As Kari watched, light began to surround her. The scene in front of her began to fade out of view.

Before she completely lost sight of Sora, she heard the Dream Eater utter, "May your heart be your guiding key, Sora."

* * *

**Arendelle**

Kairi's eyes slowly opened. She was back in her bed in Arendelle. Glancing over to the window, she could see small beams of daylight peek in through the curtain.

Sitting up, she watched Pluto stretch and let out a yawn. He then crawled over to her with a smile on his face. With a small smile of her own, she scratched him on the head.

Then her smile gave way to puzzlement. She placed her hand over her heart and wondered why she had become a witness to one of Sora's memories.

_'Sora, did you call me?'_

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **_

_After making small appearances here and there throughout this story, Sora finally gets a bigger scene. I plan to use Kairi's dreams whenever she goes to sleep to show what has happened to Sora since he went to save her. I hope you enjoy what I offer in the place of Re:Mind although you will probably see a few elements from it Re:Worked and Re:Imagined for the purposes of this story. I initially planned to write the memory part as if Kairi was experiencing the memory from Sora's POV. But it was hard to put into writing, so I just went with A Christmas Carol style of her witnessing it without being able to be seen and heard. I give my thanks to everyone who read this chapter as well as anyone who read Evening's Repose as well. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	22. Ch 20: To the North Mountain

_**Disclaimer: **_

_The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **_

_Greetings readers! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted. Between a few personal issues and this one being a bit of struggle to write, I really had to take my time with this one. Anyway, this chapter will set the stage for Arendelle's upcoming big fight scene. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 20: To the North Mountain**

**Arendelle**

A short while later, after getting herself dressed, Kairi paced back and forth around the room, racking her brain for any possible explanation for last night's unexpected show. Pluto watched from his spot on the bed.

"I just can't understand it, Pluto. How was I able to see one of Sora's memories? I mean, I've had many dreams about him since he was lost. But none of them were about things that actually happened. Why am I having them now?" she asked.

Pluto just gave a shrug of his shoulders and a whimper to indicate he had no idea either. Kairi sighed and sat down on the bed next to him.

"Do you think maybe I was supposed to learn something from that memory? But if so, then what was it? When I returned to the Islands, Chirithy filled all of us in about what happened in that world when Sora was trying to save me. So, if there was nothing in that memory that I didn't already know, then what was the point of even showing it to me?" asked Kairi holding her head in her hands.

Pluto whimpered and pawed at her shoulder. Kairi gave a small smile while she put her arm around her canine companion and stroked his back.

"I know you can't possibly have the answers, Pluto. But thanks for listening anyway. It's just not easy having so many unanswered questions while we're on this quest. Between the Wayfinder, the woman in my dreams who gave it to me, and the Memento Card from Never Land, I just don't think I can handle any more mysteries."

'_It's times like these I wish I could go to someone wiser than me like Master Yen Sid, Merlin or Ansem the Wise. But, besides the fact that I can't get to their worlds from here, they'd probably just tell Riku and the others and then I'd be dragged back home to the Islands. I really am on my own here.'_

Just then, there was a knock on the door followed by an elderly female voice who said, "Miss Kairi? The queen and the princess were wondering if you've awoken yet. They're awaiting you in the dining hall for breakfast."

"I have, Gerda. Please tell them I'll be there soon," responded Kairi.

"Of course," said Gerda's voive as the sound of her footsteps walking away were heard outside the door.

Kairi let out a large sigh. "Actually Pluto, watching that memory did get me thinking about something regarding Anna and Elsa. In fact, it's actually something that's been on my mind ever since we were preparing to face Xehanort."

Pluto looked at her in confusion. But he gestured for her to continue.

Kairi rose to her feet and faced the dog. "In the memory, Sora mentioned that we fought against Xehanort and the Organization even though it was what he wanted to happen in order to keep them from going after Anna, Elsa and the other new Princesses of Heart. But I've been wondering for the longest time if we could've done a little more than that. Like maybe warning them about the danger they could be in. Or even gathering them all together and bringing them to somewhere they might be safe."

Pluto gave a yelp of surprise in response. Kairi gestured for him to be quiet.

"I know. I know. If the others were here, they'd probably give me a big lecture about how those ideas would be a major violation of the world order. And yes, I admit I did say differently to you last night after Elsa left. But I can't help it. It just doesn't seem right to keep the other Princesses in the dark like this. There could be others like Maleficent and Xehanort out there and I hate to think of what might happen to the Princesses and their worlds if they come after them especially since they would have no idea why. Personally, after everything I've been through, I'd certainly want to know of any potential threats that might come after me regardless of the rules," stated Kairi.

Kairi let out another sigh before she continued, "I don't know, Pluto. If it were truly up to me, I'd tell Anna, Elsa and the rest of the new Princesses of Heart everything. And I'm sure if Sora was here, he'd probably agree with me. Do you think I'm wrong for wanting to do this?"

Pluto considered Kairi's words. Ever since his master had taken up the Keyblade, he too knew how important preserving the world order was. But, at the same time, he had to concede that Kairi was making some good points. Unable to give a definite answer to his friend, he simply gave an uncertain shrug.

Suddenly, a loud roar rang through the room causing Kairi and Pluto to jump. It sounded as if it was coming from outside. Kairi rushed to the window and parted the curtains. She gasped in shock.

Her window looked out into the courtyard. And currently squeezing through the gates was a giant monster that looked like it was made of snow. It had claws made of ice and protrusions of ice coming out from its knees. Its face was composed of two empty holes for eyes and a large wide mouth that was the source of the roars.

"Pluto! There's some kind of monster outside! It might be a Heartless after Anna and Elsa! We've got to fight it off!"

Quickly, she opened the window and climbed onto the sill. She quickly leapt to the ground with Pluto landing shortly beside her.

The snow monster had just finished pushing through the gates. It was now lumbering across the courtyard towards the doors. So far, it hadn't noticed Kairi and Pluto

'_I may have failed with Sora. But I will not fail to keep Anna and Elsa safe!'_ Kairi thought as she summoned her Keyblade and pointed it at a spot on the ground between the snow monster and the doors.

"Fire!" shouted Kairi as she shot a fireball from her Keyblade. It struck the ground right in front of the snow monster. It roared in fright.

Taking advantage, Kairi and Pluto charged in and stood in front of the doors. They struck defensive poses before the snow monster.

"Back off, you beast! If you're looking to hurt Anna and Elsa, then you're going to have to go through us first!" she yelled with Pluto barking in accompaniment.

The snow monster let out an enraged roar as it raised it's claw in preparation to swipe it at Kairi and Pluto. The girl raised her Keyblade to meet the oncoming attack.

But just as the snow monster was about to attack, it stopped. Its empty eyes gazed at Kairi's Keyblade. A look of what seemed to be recognition crossed its face.

"Sora?" it bellowed.

Kairi's eyes opened wide in surprise upon hearing what the snow monster had just said. She lowered her Keyblade as she and Pluto both glanced up to the snow monster in confusion.

"What did you say?" asked Kairi.

"Kairi, if you wanted to play with Marshmallow, you could've waited until after breakfast. That way, we could all play together."

Kairi looked behind her right to see Olaf walking toward them. Oddly, he didn't seem too concerned that there was a giant monster in their presence.

As he walked past her, the snowman's eyes fell on Kairi's Keyblade and he gasped in surprise. "Oh! Sora has one of those too! Only not as flowery."

Olaf walked up to the snow monster and hugged its leg. Kairi's and Pluto's jaws dropped in surprise.

"So good to see you here, little brother!" Olaf said joyfully.

Kairi's surprise increased. "Little brother?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh, I guess you two must've started playing with each other so quickly, you didn't properly introduce yourselves. Allow me," said Olaf as he clutched onto one of the snow monster's claws and led him up to Kairi. The snow monster hesitantly walked alongside him.

"Kairi, Pluto, I'd like you to meet my little brother, Marshmallow. Marshmallow, this is Kairi and her dog Pluto," said Olaf.

Kairi unsummoned her Keyblade and hesitantly held out her hand to Marshmallow's claw. "Uh, nice to meet you, Marshmallow," she said unsurely.

Much to her surprise, Marshmallow regarded her with uncertainty. _'I guess I can't really blame him. I did almost attack him.'_

"Now don't be shy, Marshmallow. Kairi's very nice. She's actually a very close friend of Sora's," said the smaller snowman whispering the last sentence.

A small smile came to the giant's face. He placed the tip of his claw into Kairi's palm allowing her to shake it.

Kairi returned his smile before it was replaced by concern. "Olaf, doesn't he feel a little moist?"

Olaf glanced at his stick hand and took note of the moisture now on it. "Not to worry, Kairi. All Elsa needs to do is give him a flurry of his own and he'll be okay for his visit."

Kairi gazed at the giant snowman. Now that he wasn't creating an uproar, he looked like he was a pretty gentle giant.

Although, there was one feature of Marshmallow that disconcerted her. She noticed several holes scattered around his body. They almost looked like battle scars.

"Olaf! Kairi!" exclaimed Anna's voice.

Kairi turned and saw Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Sven approaching. Behind them was a crowd composed of the castle staff. All of them seemed to be concerned with Marshmallow's presence.

"Anna! Elsa! Marshmallow came to visit us!" exclaimed Olaf.

Anna looked at all the holes over Marshmallow's body and gasped. "What happened to him? Why does he look so roughed up?"

"You mean he doesn't look like that normally?" asked Kairi causing Anna to shake her head in response.

Olaf finally noticed the holes himself and his eyes opened wide. "Oh! I'm sorry, little brother! I was so happy to see you; I didn't notice you were hurt. Elsa, can you help him?" he asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, Olaf. I'll take care of this," said Elsa as she waved her hands. Her ice magic travelled from her hands and flowed around Marshmallow. The holes filled up with new snow as he let out a sigh of relief.

"And just to make sure he doesn't melt while he's down here," said Elsa as she conjured a larger version of Olaf's snow flurry above the giant snowman.

"There! That's better! Now you'll be nice and cool for your visit down here," said Olaf.

"Something tells me he didn't come here for a visit, Olaf. Look how distressed he looks," said Kairi.

"Kairi's right. And even if he wanted to visit, Marshmallow knows that shouldn't come down from the North Mountain when it's not winter," said Kristoff.

Before any of them could press the matter further, they heard from behind them say, "I heard the uproar and saw everyone running out. What ever is the matter?"

Everyone turned behind them to see the Duke of Weselton making his way through the crowd. Upon seeing Marshmallow, he gasped in surprise.

"Oh my! Erik and Francis told me of your larger snowman that guarded your ice palace, Queen Elsa. But to see it in person is quite a sight indeed. But why on earth has it come here?" inquired the Duke.

"Marshmallow is not an 'it', Your Grace. He is a he and I'm sure he would prefer that you referred to him as such," snapped Anna causing the Duke to back off in surprise.

"Anna, don't be rude," chided Elsa before turning to the Duke. "You'll have to forgive my sister, Your Grace. Marshmallow's unexpected appearance is causing all of us a little concern."

"Oh no. It was an error on my behalf. I meant no offense to er Marshmallow. Please accept my apology, Princess Anna," said the Duke.

Anna looked as if she was ready to lash out again at the Duke. But a look of warning from both Elsa and Kristoff made her reconsider.

She took a deep breath and said, "It's fine, Your Grace. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to find out why Marshmallow is here. You may continue on your returning home."

Elsa, in the meantime, addressed the rest of the crowd. "You can all return to your duties. My sister and I will attend to this matter," she said as the crowd heeded her words and returned to the palace.

Anna turned her attention back to Marshmallow. "Marshmallow, not that we don't like seeing you, but why are you here? You know Arendelle isn't safe for you during the spring."

Marshmallow gave an apologetic look. "Chased! From palace!" he cried causing everyone's eyes to open up in surprise.

"Chased? What on earth would an immense creature such as him run away from?" asked the Duke's voice.

Anna turned back to the Duke who had stopped shortly of entering the palace. She shot him a deadly glare causing him to cower slightly.

"Uh right. You were probably about to find that out. I'll just return to my preparations to leave. Forgive my interruption," said the Duke as he turned around and walked quickly back into the palace finally leaving the group alone in the courtyard.

'_Boy, if looks could kills, the Duke would be dead right where he stood. But as much as I hate to agree with him, he is right. Marshmallow looks like something others would run from, not the other way around,'_ thought Kairi.

"Marshmallow, who chased you?" asked Elsa.

"People! With fire!" groaned Marshmallow who looked almost traumatized just mentioning it.

"Oh no. No wonder you ran," said Olaf as he hugged his brother's leg.

Kairi regarded the giant snowman with sympathy. _'The poor thing! He must've been terrified! And I just had to shoot a Fire spell to get his attention,'_ she thought with regret.

Kairi approached the giant snowman and grabbed onto one of his giant hands. She gave it a reassuring rub. "I'm really sorry, Marshmallow. If I knew who you were, I wouldn't have tried to attack you."

Marshmallow was surprised at the sudden gesture of comfort. But he gave a grunt of thanks.

"Why would anyone chase Marshmallow out of the ice palace?" asked Anna.

"I don't know. Maybe they were seeking shelter in the mountain and found the ice palace. They may have assumed he was dangerous, and they ended up in a fight. A fight that they apparently won," said Kristoff.

"That's not very nice. Marshmallow would've probably let them stay with him if they had just asked nicely," said Olaf.

"Yes. But unfortunately, Olaf, not everyone knows Marshmallow as well as we do," said Kristoff.

"Well, whoever they are, we can't let them get away with treating him like this. I say we march right up to the North Mountain and demand an explanation from them," said Anna pounding a fist into her palm.

"Now, Anna, let's not do anything too rash. We have to think this through," said Elsa.

"What's there to think about? There's a group of people in your ice palace who attacked our friend. He was probably lucky to get out of there alive. We can't just do nothing," said Anna.

"I never said we were going to do nothing. I'll travel up to the North Mountain and try to negotiate with them. It may just be a misunderstanding and we can resolve this peacefully," said the queen.

"But what if it's not a misunderstanding? What if these people are dangerous? I'm not letting you go up there alone if they are. Certainly not without me or the boys," said Anna with Kristoff, Sven and Olaf nodding in agreement. Marshmallow nodded too although he looked a little hesitant.

"Anna, no. With my powers, I can protect myself from whatever might happen up there. Besides, if we all go, then no one's going to be able to help Kairi search for Sora," Elsa said.

Anna gasped in realization. She turned around to face Kairi. "Oh, Kairi! I'm so sorry! We're supposed to be helping you today," said the princess apologetically.

"You know what, Anna? It can wait," said Kairi bluntly to everyone's surprise.

"But Kairi, what about Sora? Don't you want to start looking for him?" asked Olaf.

"More than anything. But who knows how long it will be before we actually find anything? We should deal with this right now," said Kairi.

Anna's surprise increased. "We? You mean…"

"Yes. If you're going up to this ice palace, then you can count on me to help you out," stated Kairi as Pluto barked to show his desire to help as well.

"I don't know, Kairi. I don't want to put you in danger," said Elsa.

Kairi held out her hand and summoned Destiny's Embrace. "I think I can handle any kind of danger."

Everyone gasped in surprise. "You have one of those giant keys too! Just like Sora!" exclaimed Anna.

"Yes, she does. I saw it earlier before all of you came into the courtyard. You know, there must be some pretty big doors somewhere for these big keys," said Olaf.

"I watched Sora use his to fight off the Heartless with Donald and Goofy. It was amazing what he could do with it," said Elsa as she looked at the Keyblade.

"If you've seen what he can do with his, Elsa, then you know that like him, I'm not going to stay behind when there's a wrong to be righted," said Kairi.

"Kairi, are you sure?" asked Elsa.

Kairi smiled at the queen. "I am. The most important thing that we do right now is get Marshmallow his home back. Sora would do the same thing if he were here now."

"I can see why you and Sora are such good friends. You're both so helpful," said Olaf.

"Indeed. Thank you, Kairi," said Anna gratefully before turning to her sister. "Elsa, we know you just want to keep us all safe. It's always been one of your best qualities. But that doesn't mean you have to do everything by yourself. I believe that with all we have to offer, we can pull this off. And if Kairi's willing to put her search for Sora on hold to help out, the least you can do is accept it."

Elsa gazed at everyone around her hesitantly. Throughout most of her life, she dreaded any harm coming to the people she loved especially Anna. But she had to admit that her sister was right. With so many willing to help, including their newest friend, it would be wrong to decline.

Finally, the queen let out a sigh and smiled at her sister. "I guess I'm really outnumbered on this one. You win. Kristoff, can you get your sled ready to go?"

"Right away, Elsa. Let's go, Sven," said Kristoff as he and the reindeer dashed off to the stable.

"Come on, Kairi. If we're going up to the North Mountain, you're going to need some warmer clothes," said Anna.

"Do you think you have anything that'll fit me?" asked Kairi.

"I'm sure we can find something," said Anna as she took Kairi by the hand and led her back into the palace with Pluto following behind leaving Elsa and Olaf alone with Marshmallow.

"Don't worry, Marshmallow. We'll get your home back. Right, Elsa?" asked Olaf as he petted his brother's hand.

"We'll see, Olaf. Hopefully, whoever chased him out can be reasoned with," said Elsa worriedly.

* * *

A short while later, everyone who was going up to the North Mountain was gathered around Kristoff's sled to which Sven was hitched up. Anna was dressed in the winter clothes that she had got at Oaken's during Elsa's winter. Kristoff was in his ice harvesting outfit and Elsa remained in her snow gown.

"Are those clothes you found comfortable for you, Kairi?" Elsa asked the princess of heart who was now dressed in a brown winter outfit complete with boots and gloves.

"They are a little big, but it'll do. I will admit, I'm not used to wearing something like this. Where I come from, the weather doesn't usually require clothing this warm," said Kairi.

"Well, at least you're better dressed for cold weather than Sora was when he was here," said Elsa.

"Yeah. I can imagine he probably was pretty vocal in his complaints about freezing. But Elsa, don't you want to dress a little more warmly?" asked Kairi gesturing to the queen's apparently flimsy gown that one probably wouldn't normally wear in the cold.

"You don't need to worry about me. The cold never bothered me anyway," said Elsa.

"Yes. And you won't believe how many times she's made that point," said Anna causing Elsa to chuckle.

Kairi smiled. It looked like Anna and Elsa were on their way to getting over their conflict.

"We'd better get going if we want to make it up to the North Mountain and back before dark," said Kristoff.

"Can Sven make it in that time, Kristoff?" asked Kairi.

"Oh yes. I'm pretty strong and you will not believe how fast I can go," said Kristoff in his Sven voice causing Kairi to laugh.

"At least you won't have to carry Marshmallow with us in the sled. He'd definitely slow you down," said the Princess of Heart gazing up at the giant snowman who had Olaf sitting on top of his head.

"Oh, he doesn't mind walking. And I'll be right up here so he won't get lonely," said Olaf giving his brother a pat on the head to which he let out a grunt.

"Let's get going, everyone. We've got some bad guys to chase out of the ice palace so we can get Marshmallow his home back!" exclaimed Anna.

Everyone boarded the sled. Kristoff sat up front at the reins with Anna at his side. Kairi climbed into the back with Elsa and Pluto.

But just as Kristoff was about to command Sven to leave, a voice from the palace called out, "Queen Elsa! Princess Anna!"

Everyone turned toward the doors. To their surprise, the Duke of Weselton was running toward them with a pair of guards following close behind.

_'Now what does he want?'_ thought Kairi.

Once the trio had reached the sled and stopped, one of the guards said, "I'm sorry, Your Majesties. We were about to escort him back to his ship. But he ran away from us."

Elsa rose to her feet, walked to the edge of the sled and gazed at the Duke. "Your Grace, one of the terms of your visit was that you were to be escorted by the guards at all times and only go where you were supposed to," she said sternly.

"I know and forgive my violation, Your Highness. But in light of the circumstances, there is something I feel I need to ask you," pleaded the Duke.

Anna was about to say something until Kristoff gently grabbed her by the arm. "Let Elsa handle this," he whispered.

"Very well. What is it?" asked the queen.

"I know this may be too much to ask of you and I know I have no right to ask in the first place. But I humbly request to accompany you on your journey to the North Mountain," said the Duke causing everyone's to shoot open with shock.

_ 'Why would he want to come with us?'_ thought Kairi.

It seemed Elsa shared the same train of thought with Kairi. "Your Grace, why do you wish to come along?"

"Because if those ruffians that chased your giant are anything like I used to be, then perhaps I could be of assistance to you in persuading them of their error. You both could consider it part of my atonement for my offenses against you."

"Your Grace, the best way you can atone to both of us for your offenses is to let the guards escort you to your ship and return to Weselton. We are all perfectly capable of dealing with whoever is in the ice palace without any need for your assistance. Right, Elsa?" asked Anna.

Much to Anna's surprise, Elsa didn't seem to agree. In fact, it almost looked like she was actually taking the Duke's request into consideration.

Anna gasped in horror as she rose to her feet and faced her sister. "Elsa, no! Letting him come along is going way too far!" she exclaimed.

"Anna, please think about this. He's abided by all our conditions during his visit here and up to now, he hasn't asked anything of us. In light of that, I think maybe we should allow him to come with us," said Elsa before leaning toward Anna and whispering to her sister, "This is still about keeping things civil between our homelands. It would be foolish to jeopardize that now."

Anna looked like she wanted to scream. She looked over to Kristoff who held up his hands indicating he didn't want to get involved in this.

Anna looked to Kairi. All the Princess of Heart could do was give a shrug showing she had no idea of what to do either.

"Errgh! Fine! You can come along, Your Grace," said Anna begrudgingly before shooting her sister a glare. _'But if you're waiting for me to like it, you'll be waiting for a very long time.'_

"Oh, thank you so much, Princess. I promise you that you will not regret this, and I will do everything I can to assist you all in your endeavor. I also look forward to seeing this fabulous ice palace of yours," said the Duke.

"Oh, you're going to love seeing it. It's quite a work of art, Mr. Weasel Town," said Olaf.

The Duke's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "It's Wesel…," he nearly shouted before catching himself and clearing his throat. "I mean, I'm sure it is."

"Well, if you're coming with us, then climb on in," said Anna as she climbed off the sled.

"Anna, where are you going?" asked Elsa.

"To ride with Olaf," she said curtly.

Kairi watched Anna walk up to the giant snowman. Marshmallow gently picked up Anna in his hand and raised her up to his shoulder allowing her to climb on top of him.

Kairi let out a sigh. _'Just when it seemed that everything was about to be fixed between them, this had to happen.'_

"Elsa, I'm going to ride with her and Olaf. Maybe I can calm her down," said Kairi.

"Thank you, Kairi," said Elsa as she climbed up front to sit next to Kristoff.

Kairi was about to climb out of the sled just as the Duke entered through the back. "Oh! I don't believe we've had a proper introduction, young lady. The Duke of Weselton, at your service," said the Duke with a bow causing the rear half of his wig to flop forward.

"Uh, nice to meet you, Your Grace. My name is Kairi, and this is my dog Pluto," said Kairi as she bowed back while Pluto eyed the Duke with suspicion.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, Miss Kairi. Am I correct in assuming you are a newcomer to the queen's circle of friends?" asked the Duke.

"You could say that. We all have a mutual friend who has gone missing. We were supposed to begin our search for him today before this problem came up," said Kairi awkwardly.

"I'm very sorry to hear that. I do hope you find him," said the Duke sympathetically.

"So do I," said Kairi as she walked past the Duke and hopped off the end of the sled.

"Pluto!" she whispered as the dog came over to her. "I know the Duke seems like he's not up to no good. But keep an eye on him just the same."

Pluto gave a salute with one of his ears. He then turned around and kept his eyes on the Duke who was now seated behind Elsa.

_'Having the Duke come along is going to complicate things especially since I don't know how he's going to react if he sees me and my Keyblade in action. I guess I'll just have to trust Elsa that he really is trying to turn over a new leaf.'_

Kairi then walked over to Marshmallow. Knowing what she wanted, the giant snowman picked her up like he did with Anna and raised her high enough that she could climb up to where Anna and Olaf were.

"Nice of you to join us, Kairi," said Olaf pleasantly.

"Glad to see you didn't want to be around the Duke either," said Anna bluntly.

Having overheard her sister, Elsa sighed and turned to Kristoff. "It's time we got started. Go ahead, Kristoff."

The ice harvester nodded and snapped the reins. Taking the signal, Sven began to pull the sled toward the gates of the castle. Marshmallow trudged close behind at a similar pace.

Their trip to the North Mountain and Elsa's ice palace had begun.

* * *

A few hours later, the party had travelled far away from the village. The signs of getting closer to the mountain were beginning to be seen as they entered an area of snow-covered ground.

As Kairi rode atop Marshmallow, she mulled over how the trip had gone so far. _'According to what we learned when we stopped at Oaken's trading post earlier, neither he nor any of his family heard anything come past them last night. So, whoever these people in the ice palace are, they must've come from outside Arendelle.'_

Kairi then glanced over to Anna who was shooting a hostile look at the Duke in the sled. She had been doing it throughout the whole trip.

'_There's got to be something I can do to help Anna end this hostility towards not only the Duke, but her sister as well.'_

Suddenly, Marshmallow halted. Kairi, Anna and Olaf looked ahead and saw that the sled had stopped as well.

"Okay, everyone out," said Kristoff.

"What on earth for?" asked the Duke.

"I need to take the wheels off and replace them with the runners. Otherwise, we can't go any further, Your Grace," said Kristoff.

"Oh. Well, carry on then," said the Duke as he, Elsa and Pluto disembarked the sled.

But just as Kristoff was about to get to work, he saw something up ahead. He rushed toward it.

"Kristoff, what is it?" asked Anna from on top of Marshmallow.

"There's a trail of tracks over there. They're heading in the direction of the ice palace. I'm going to take a closer look," he said as he pointed ahead.

Once the ice harvester reached the tracks, he kneeled down. He studied them closely.

"Does he know what he's doing?" the Duke whispered to Elsa.

"Kristoff grew up in these wilds, Your Grace. So, if he thinks there's anything that can be learned from those tracks, we have to trust him," said Elsa as Sven grunted in agreement.

"If you say so. But I do hope we get to our destination very soon. The way this dog has been looking at me is making me rather uncomfortable," said the Duke pointing over his shoulder at Pluto who was still keeping a close eye on him.

After a few minutes, Kristoff returned to the sled. "What did they look like, Kristoff?" asked Kairi.

"From what I saw, there's footprints, hoofmarks and sled tracks which means there may be a lot of them. But I can't tell how many exactly," said Kristoff as he resumed work on swapping the wheels for the runners.

Elsa gazed up toward the mountains _'What kind of people are we dealing with and what could they be doing up there?'_

"Do you think it would be a good idea to turn back and resume this journey with reinforcements?" asked the Duke.

"No. We've come too far already to turn back now. Besides, we have everything and everybody who can handle this, Your Grace," said Anna sourly.

Elsa glanced up at to Marshmallow. Her heart sank as she saw the persistent unpleasant look on her sister's face.

Seeing the Duke was on the opposite side of the sled and out of earshot, she walked up to Kristoff and asked quietly, "Kristoff, do you think I made a mistake in bringing the Duke along?"

"I know you're just trying to keep things good between you and him, Elsa. But I won't deny that it is a bit of a setback to things getting back to normal around here," said Kristoff as he worked.

Elsa's frown deepened and Kristoff offered her a comforting smile. "Don't worry. I have a feeling that the other feisty redhead up there can talk some sense into her."

In spite of herself, Elsa managed to smile a little as she recalled her conversation with Kairi the evening before. 'Kairi does seem like the type of person who could do that. It's no wonder she and Sora are good friends."

"I think there may even be a little more than friendship between them," said Kristoff causing Elsa to give a look of surprise.

"He did grow up with love experts so he can recognize it when he sees it," Kristoff said in his Sven voice to which Sven nodded.

Elsa thought about it some more. _'Kristoff may be right. The way we've heard Kairi talk about Sora, even though it's tainted by sadness, is very similar to how Anna talks about Kristoff.'_

Then a small frown came to her face. _'I can only hope after this, we can find some way to bring the two of them back together.'_

* * *

Much later, after the wheels had been swapped out for the runners, the trip had resumed. The party was now travelling even higher into the mountains.

Ever since the earlier stop, things had been pretty quiet between Elsa, Kristoff and the Duke. None of them was willing to start a conversation. They sat in silence in the sled.

On top of Marshmallow, however, Olaf was as vocal as usual. He was laying on his back and pointing out the shapes in the clouds.

"Look, Anna and Kairi! There's a cloud that looks like a fluffy bunny! It's so cute!" exclaimed the snowman pointing upward.

Kairi looked at the cloud in question and smiled. "You're right, Olaf! It does look like a rabbit. Don't you see it, Anna?"

Anna said nothing. She just continued to glare at the Duke in the sled.

_'Okay. Peacemaker time,'_ thought Kairi. "Anna, I know you're not too… enthused about having the Duke with us."

"Now there's the biggest understatement ever, Kairi. Any second now, I know he's going to turn on us and hurt Elsa," said Anna.

"Anna, I doubt he's going to try anything especially since we outnumber him eight to one. If we're going to deal with this problem, we're all going to need to work together and this frosty attitude towards your sister isn't helping things," said Kairi.

"Anna?" Olaf asked causing her to turn to him. "Kairi's right. I don't like it that you've been making Elsa feel so badly," he said sadly.

A flash of regret shot across Anna's features. "I'm sorry, Olaf. I don't like making Elsa feel bad either. It's just so hard being around the Duke after everything he did."

"I understand, Anna. I've actually been in a position similar to this one before," said Kairi.

Anna turned to the other redheaded princess. "You have?"

"Yes. Very recently, I had to train and fight alongside someone that I wasn't on very good terms with," said Kairi.

"What exactly did this person do to you?" asked Anna.

"He tried to kidnap me in order to force Sora to do what he wanted," said Kairi.

Anna's eyes opened wide. "He did? And you had to work with him? How did you manage to even be in the same room with him?"

"Believe me, I was asking myself the same question. But after some time, I realized that though his methods were wrong, his reasons weren't and just because he did bad things in the past didn't mean that he was incapable of doing good. And what also helped was the fact that he ended up helping to save Sora from a very terrible fate."

"Saving Sora does sound like a good reason to be friends with this person," said Olaf.

"That was the biggest reason I decided to forgive him, Olaf," said Kairi.

Anna seemed to consider Kairi's story. But she still didn't look one hundred percent convinced.

"You don't have to become best friends with the Duke, Anna. But don't rule out the possibility that he may have turned over a new leaf because I have seen it happen," said Kairi.

Anna let out a sigh. "I get what you're saying, Kairi. And I guess it is pretty admirable that Elsa is willing to give the Duke a chance. It's just…"

"Just what, Anna?" asked Olaf.

"It's just that every time I see the Duke, I'm reminded of all the danger Elsa was in after the coronation. Especially since it was all because of me," Anna said remorsefully.

The last sentence of Anna's struck Kairi and Olaf by surprise. "Anna, what do you mean?" asked Kairi.

"If I hadn't been so desperate for love and accepted a marriage proposal from someone who never loved me, Elsa's powers wouldn't have been revealed in the worst possible way. Then the Duke would never have tried to kill her. I caused so much trouble for her and having him around is just a painful reminder of it," said Anna who looked like she was about to cry.

_'So, a lot of the anger Anna's been showing has actually been at herself. I certainly know how that feels. Sora ended up in so much danger because of me in the past that that all I ever wished more than anything was that it would never happen again,'_ thought Kairi.

"I'm sorry, Anna," said Olaf patting her hand.

"Me too," said Kairi.

"It's okay, Olaf and Kairi. You didn't know. But you are right that I haven't been very fair to Elsa during all this. The Duke has behaved himself during his visit so maybe if he does manage to help us out at the ice palace in some way, I guess I could consider letting bygones be bygones a little," said Anna.

"That's the spirit, Anna. If he can help get my little brother his home back, then I'm sure we can all be friends," said Olaf.

"Well, I don't think I'd go that far, Olaf," said Anna with a small chuckle causing Kairi to smile. It was good to see Anna taking her words to heart.

"Anna, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you: does Olaf know what the word 'little' actually means? Because that really isn't the word I'd use to describe Marshmallow," said Kairi.

Anna chuckled. "When Olaf calls Marshmallow his little brother, he's not actually referring to his size, Kairi."

"That's right. Marshmallow is my little brother because Elsa made him after she made me with her powers," said Olaf.

"Oh, so it's matter of who was 'born' first. Now I get it," said Kairi with a laugh.

"Glad we could clear that up for you, Kairi. Oh look! We're nearly there! The ice palace is just up ahead," exclaimed the little snowman pointing ahead to a bend in the path.

"Oh, you're just going to love it when you see it, Kairi. Elsa's ice palace is one of the most wonderful, amazing, beautiful…" Olaf stopped just as they rounded the bend.

Everyone's eyes widened and their jaws dropped. But not in awe.

"Oh no," said Anna in a tone of shock and despair.

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **_

_Ooh! Cliff-hanger! Until the next chapter, I'll leave it to the readers' imaginations to picture what sort of state the ice palace is in. I hope I end up matching or topping them when I write it down. One thing is certain though: it's not going to be pretty. Believe it or not, I never realized Kristoff's sled in the first movie was could actually convert between wheels and runners until I looked a little closer for research for this chapter. I guess it's safe to assume that his new one is the same. I give my thanks to everyone who read this chapter and special thanks to AnimeMaster24 and The Not-So-Ultimate Writer for their reviews. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!_


	23. Ch 21: Inferno in the Ice Palace

_**Disclaimer: **_

_The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix. However, he does claim ownership to any original characters that may appear in this story._

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **_

_Greetings readers! Again, I am sorry for taking so long. Real life's been a bit of a struggle lately and I was also occupied with writing my SoKai Day 2020 story Waltz of the Destined which I hope some of you may have checked out. Anyway, prepare yourself for some interesting developments although I do warn you that it may get a little darker than your usual Frozen fare. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 21: Inferno in the Ice Palace**

**Arendelle**

Towering before them was an immense palace made of ice attached to the side of the mountain. A staircase made of ice lead up to the double doors which made up the front entrance. The light of the sun shimmered off the crystals.

It was quite a sight that would be usually be considered beautiful. But the beauty was marred by all the damage that was scattered all over.

The walls, once pristine, were now dotted with char marks, cracks and holes of various shapes and sizes. Pieces of the railing on the staircase were missing and the steps themselves were now cracked and broken. One could only imagine what the inside of the palace looked like.

Kairi couldn't take her eyes off of it even as Marshmallow bent forward and allowed her, Anna and Olaf to slide off of him. She walked over to Elsa who looked just as stunned to see her ice palace in such a state.

"I'm so sorry, Elsa. It must've been so beautiful," said Kairi sympathetically.

"My condolences as well, Your Majesty. It is bad enough that those ruffians are squatters but they're also vandals as well.," said the Duke.

"How could anyone do something like this to a work of art? This is a crime against ice," asked Kristoff as Sven nodded in agreement.

"I don't know, and I don't care. They've gone too far! We should go in there right now, drag them back to Arendelle and throw them into the dungeon," said Anna furiously as she attempted to stomp toward the palace before being held back by Elsa and Kairi.

"Take it easy, Anna," said Elsa.

"I won't take it easy, Elsa! Mistreating Marshmallow was bad enough. But now they've ruined one of the most beautiful things you've ever created with your powers. We cannot let them get away with this," shouted Anna.

"And we won't. But we can't be reckless about this," said Elsa.

"Your sister's right, Anna. We still have no idea about who or what we're dealing with here," said Kairi. _'For all we know, they could be the kind of people the Heartless would obey.'_

"If there's anybody even in there," said Kristoff who was kneeling by a trail of tracks leading up to the staircase.

"What do you mean, Kristoff?" asked Kairi.

"Take a look at the tracks," said the ice harvester beckoning everyone to come over to where he was. Once everyone had gathered around him, he continued.

"When we stopped earlier, the tracks were all leading up here. But now I'm also seeing some that are leading away from here," said Kristoff pointing to several tracks that indeed looked like they were heading away from the ice palace.

"But how could we have missed them if they've already left? We didn't see any other trails besides the one we followed up here," said Kairi.

"I have no idea, Kairi. And there's another thing that's baffling me. If they wanted the ice palace for themselves, why would they damage it like this? Surely, they'd know by disrupting the integrity of the ice like this, they'd only be putting themselves in danger," said Kristoff.

"Are you certain of that?" asked the Duke.

"Trust me, Your Grace. If there's one thing I know best, it's ice," said Kristoff.

"This mystery is getting more mysterious every minute," said Olaf with several of the others nodding in agreement.

Elsa gazed up to the ice palace's doors. "Well, one thing is for certain: we're not going to get any answers unless we go in there."

The queen then turned to the group. "All right everybody. Here's what we're going to do. I'll lead the way into the palace. If there's any damage to the floors, I can use my powers to fix them, so it'll be safe for us to move around in there. They'll also protect us if there's anyone still in there," said Elsa.

"Don't count Kairi out, Elsa. She can help just like Sora!" exclaimed Olaf.

"What on earth is he talking about? What kind of help can she offer?" asked the Duke.

"You're just going to have to trust us on this, Your Grace. Just know that if the situation calls for it, I'm ready to do all that I can to help," said Kairi.

The Duke's eyes gave a skeptical gaze for a brief moment. "Hmm. Very well. But what are we to do if those ruffians return and catch us by surprise from behind?" asked the Duke.

"That could be a job for Marshmallow. He can stay out here and keep watch. Will you, big guy?" asked Anna.

The giant snowman looked a little hesitant. But he assented to Anna's request with a nod and a grunt.

Kristoff noticed Marshmallow's hesitance. "I guess he's still a little nervous. Can't say that I blame him. I think after what happened earlier, he's not looking forward to facing his attackers again."

Kairi gave Marshmallow a pat on the hand. "Don't worry, Marshmallow. We won't let them hurt you again."

"And to make you feel better, I'll stay out here and keep watch with you, little brother," said Olaf walking to the giant's side.

"That's probably a good idea, Olaf. Is everyone else ready?" asked Elsa.

"As we'll ever be, Elsa," said Kairi with everyone nodding although the Duke's nod was a little more reluctant.

"Good. Then let's go," said Elsa as she turned to the staircase and waved her hands. Her ice magic flowed over it and restored the staircase to its pristine condition.

Elsa then ascended the stairs. Following her was Anna, Kristoff, the Duke, Kairi, Sven and Pluto.

Suddenly, just as the Duke stepped on the icy steps, his feet slid. He quickly gripped the railing and gazed down at the abyss below. He gave a whimper of fright.

"Be careful on the steps, Mr. Weasel Town. They can be pretty slippery," called Olaf from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes er thank you for telling me," said the Duke as he regained his balance.

Olaf then looked up to Kairi. "You doing okay yourself, Kairi?" he asked the Princess of Heart who was having a little trouble on the ice herself.

"I'll be okay, Olaf. I'm just not used to walking on ice," said Kairi.

Then, much to their dismay, Sven ended up slipping. He fell down with a grunt and slid backwards. He collided with Pluto and the two animals ended up in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

Kristoff shook his head. "Looks like Sven still hasn't gotten the hang of these stairs yet."

Pluto gave a glare to the reindeer. Sven gave a sheepish grin in response.

Shaking his head, Marshmallow reached downward and picked up the dog and the reindeer. He set them down on their feet.

"Maybe it's better that you stay down there, Sven. You can help Olaf and Marshmallow keep watch," said Kristoff.

"The same goes for you too, Pluto. Don't want you both to be slipping all over the place," said Kairi.

The dog and the reindeer looked disappointed. But they gave nods to show they conceded.

"We'll come out for you all once we're sure it's safe," said Kairi as she turned around to see Elsa had reached the door.

With a wave of the queen's hand, the doors automatically opened. She gasped in horror as she took in the state of the entry room of the palace.

The frozen fountain in the middle of the room was shattered to pieces. The two staircases had several broken steps and railings. A huge piece of the wall was torn out revealing the sheer drop on the outside. There were holes in the floor that looked like they had either been put there by force or melted by fire. The scene was reminiscent of the aftermath of a wild and destructive party.

"Be careful wherever you step, everyone. Wait until I refreeze the floors and then only step where I step," said Elsa as she entered with the others behind her.

As her sister used her powers to restore the floor's strength, Anna took in all the damage done to her sister's palace. The more she saw, the more her rage grew.

Finally, she shouted in the loudest voice she could muster, "Listen to anyone in here! This is the princess of Arendelle! Whoever you are, I command you to show yourself and explain what you have done!"

Anna's voice echoed throughout the palace. The group waited to see if Anna's demand would be responded to. But the only response was silence.

"I don't think that was going to work, Anna. Judging from all this damage, it looks like they take great pride in destruction," said Kairi.

"And I'm still thinking that for all we know, they could already be long gone by now," said Kristoff.

"We should still investigate the rest of the palace just to be sure. Even if no one is here anymore, we may be able to find some clues as to who was responsible for this," said Elsa.

"But, Your Majesty, this place is quite immense. Not to mention you've made it clear that we need to stay with you so you can keep the floors from collapsing. So, how are we to do that?" asked the Duke.

"The Duke does have a point, Elsa. This place is pretty big," said Kairi.

"Actually, though it looks big on the outside, it really isn't on the inside. There's really only one other room: the one upstairs," said Anna pointing to the large double staircases leading upward.

Kairi was surprised. _'Elsa __builds a giant palace with only two rooms? I guess that does make sense since she intended to live up here all alone when she ran away. There's really no need for too many rooms if you're keeping yourself away from everyone.' _

"Come on, everyone. Let's head up to the top floor and see if anything or anybody is up there," said Elsa as she made her way to one of the shorter staircases that lead up to a landing connected to the longer staircases.

After using her powers to repair the staircase, she led the group up onto the landing. Then they made their way up the left staircase leading to the top floor.

The ascent up the stairs was not a pleasant one. Nearly everywhere on the surrounding walls were the same signs of damage that they had seen in the first room.

'_How could anyone be so heartless to do something like this to such a wonderful place? It's very heartbreaking,'_ thought Kairi as she looked around at the various holes and cracks in the walls.

Then something caught the Princess of Heart's eye. Actually, it was the lack of something that her eye. "Everyone, there's something very unusual about the stairs."

"What do you mean, Kairi?" asked Anna.

"So far, everywhere we've been, there's been damage all around on the walls and floors. And Elsa's had to fix the damage to the floors so we could walk on them," stated Kairi.

"Go on," said Elsa.

"So, why hasn't she needed to fix these stairs? There's no damage at all to them," said Kairi.

Everyone then realized what Kairi was getting at. On this long ascent, Elsa had yet to use her powers to fix anything they had walked on like she had earlier.

"You're right, Kairi. After everything we saw downstairs, seeing something completely undamaged is strange," said Anna.

"But they smashed up the stairs leading into the palace and the smaller staircases in the first room. Why didn't they do any damage to these ones?" asked Kristoff.

"I don't know, but…" Kairi stopped midsentence as she sniffed.

"Hey, can you all smell that?" she asked causing everyone to sniff the air themselves.

"You appear to be right, young lady. There does appear to be a peculiar odor in the air. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say it almost smelled like something was on…" began the Duke.

"Fire!" interrupted Anna pointing upward where a thick cloud of smoke had gathered. Everyone gasped in horror.

"How is this even possible? How can something that's made out of ice catch on fire?" asked the Duke.

"There's no time to wonder about that!" exclaimed Elsa as she ran upstairs towards the smoke.

"Elsa, no! You can't breathe in that smoke!" exclaimed her sister.

Elsa stopped just as she entered the cloud. She gave a few coughs before backing out of it. _'Anna's right. I could suffocate in this smoke. But how am I going to get to that fire to extinguish it?'_

Fortunately for Elsa, her answer came very soon as Kairi stepped up to her, summoned Destiny's Embrace and pointed it at the smoke. "Wind!" she cried.

At Kairi's command, a gust of wind burst out from the tip of her Keyblade. It pushed the smoke upward, clearing the path for them.

Elsa smiled at Kairi gratefully before turning back to her sister and the others. "Anna, you stay behind with Kristoff and the Duke. Stay out of the smoke no matter what. Kairi and I will deal with that fire," she said as she continued her ascent up the stairs.

"But…" began Anna.

"Don't worry, Anna. I won't let anything happen to her or this palace. We'll call for you when the fire's out," said Kairi as she followed after Elsa.

Anna was about to follow after them. But before she could, Kristoff held her back.

"They'll take care of it, Anna. Trust them," he said assuredly.

The Duke, in the meantime, was completely taken aback by what he had just witnessed. "Was that…a giant key? She has magic too?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, Your Grace. Kairi does have powers of her own though they are a little different from Elsa's," said Kristoff.

"And you can take it from us that like my sister, there is no reason to assume the worst of Kairi," said Anna with a hint of warning in her voice.

The Duke said nothing more. But he nodded to let Anna know that he understood her point.

Anna then gazed up the staircase where her sister and her new friend had gone. "Elsa, Kairi, be careful," she whispered.

* * *

Further up the staircase, Kairi and Elsa continued their ascent to the top floor. Kairi kept up with casting Aero spells to push back the smoke.

It wasn't too long before the staircase came to an end and they entered a hallway. Midway through it, there was a doorway from which a bright orange glow could be seen.

The two of them made their way to the doorway and as soon as they got there, they had to shield their eyes from the glow. When they uncovered them, they beheld a horrific sight.

In the center of the room of ice, a large pile of wood had been erected and set ablaze. Water dripped from the ceiling and the chandelier as the heat from the fire melted it.

The queen was horrified to see a blazing inferno set in the middle of the room she considered to be the heart of the palace. "Kairi, I don't know if my powers are strong enough to extinguish a fire this big!"

"We have to try, Elsa. While you use your ice magic, I'll cast some Water spells with my Keyblade. Hopefully, that'll be enough to put it out as well as soak the wood and stop it from catching fire again. Ready?" asked Kairi causing Elsa to nod in agreement.

The two of them approached the fire. Fortunately for them, the holes in the ceiling allowed the smoke to escape so it was not as thick as it was coming up. Kairi pointed Destiny's Embrace at the burning wood while Elsa held out her hands, palms forward.

"Stream!" cried Kairi as she unleashed a blast of water from her Keyblade while simultaneously, Elsa conjured blasts of her ice magic.

The two of them cast many magical attacks on the fire and appeared to succeed in extinguishing the flames where they struck. But, much to their dismay, it turned out to only be temporary. Apparently, the fire's temperature was so intense that it was able to overcome the dampness and reignite.

"Kairi, it's not working!" exclaimed Elsa.

Then, they heard what appeared to be the sound of cracking. It could only mean one thing: the floor on the verge of collapsing. If the fire wasn't extinguished, the burning wood would fall through and put the rest of the ice palace in danger of destruction.

Elsa stopped casting her magic on the fire and fell to her knees. Placing her hands on the floor, she channeled her magic into keeping it from falling apart. She pored all her strength into it. "Kairi! I don't know if we can stop it!"

"We can, Elsa! Just keep the floor up for now! I have an idea!" shouted Kairi as she stepped in front of the queen.

Then, to Elsa's surprise, Kairi continued to cast Water spells on the fire as she had been doing before. Even though it had been clear that it was futile, she kept on using the same magic.

"What are you trying to do, Kairi? We already know that's not going to work," said Elsa.

"Trust me! It shouldn't be long now! Just be prepared to use your powers on my signal!" cried Kairi.

Elsa's confusion remained. But seeing no other way, she decided to put her full trust in the Princess of Heart.

As Kairi continued to bombard the fire with apparently ineffectual Water magic, she thought, '_I really hope this works. Grand Magic is our only hope of stopping this fire!'_

Finally, after a couple more Water spells, Kairi felt the power of the now ready Grand Magic coursing through her. She pointed Destiny's Embrace at the fire and shouted, "Waterza!"

The biggest blast of water so far burst out from her Keyblade. At the same moment, Kairi stepped to the side and shouted, "Now, Elsa! Freeze it!"

Elsa raised her hands and pointed them at the fire. Summoning all her strength, she unleashed a powerful wave of her magic.

The Waterza spell hit the fire splashing all over it. In less than a second, Elsa's power hit it as well. The combination of the two magical attacks caused the pile of wood to be completely coated in ice, causing the fire to finally be extinguished.

Kairi let out a big sigh as she fell to her knees beside the queen. Her Keyblade vanished into thin air. She looked over to Elsa and gave a smile of relief. "We did it. It's out."

"That was a great idea as well as some amazing magic, Kairi," Elsa said in between deep breaths.

"Thanks. I'm just glad I was able to pull it off in time. Truth be told, I've actually never done that level of magic outside of training before and certainly not in a situation like this," said Kairi.

"You meant you couldn't have done it right from the start?" asked Elsa.

"No. It doesn't work like that for me. To perform Grand Magic with a Keyblade, you have to build up the power for it by casting the weaker spells repeatedly first," explained the Princess of Heart.

"I guess one kind of magic isn't quite the same as another. But anyway, thank you so much, Kairi," said Elsa.

Then, from the direction of the staircase, they heard Anna's voice call out, "Elsa? Kairi?"

"It's okay, Anna! The fire's out now! You can all come up!" Elsa called back.

The sound of running footsteps were heard and it wasn't long before Anna came into view. Kristoff and Duke trailed not far behind her.

Anna immediately rushed up to them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Are you both okay? I was so worried for you both."

"We're fine, Anna. The palace is saved," said Kairi.

"I know you both were doing what you had to do to save it. But that didn't make it any less scary. Promise me you won't run into fire ever again?" asked Anna.

Elsa chuckled. "I promise. I actually hope it'll never come to me doing that again."

Anna laughed too. But her laughter ceased when she gazed at the frozen remains of the bonfire, the melted chandelier and the various holes in the ceiling. Kristoff and the Duke were equally stunned.

"My word. From the looks of this, the blaze must've been immense," said the Duke.

"It was, Your Grace. The fire was so powerful that my magic wasn't enough to stop it. The whole palace would've melted right off the mountain if it weren't for Kairi and her own magic," said Elsa smiling at the Princess of Heart.

Anna gazed at the frozen woodpile with anger in her eyes. "This is definitely the last straw. It's bad enough they chased Marshmallow out of his home and smashed up everything downstairs. But they tried to outright destroy this place! They're going to pay!" she roared.

"Calm down, Anna. As much as we'd all like to see that, truthfully, I don't think it's going to happen," said Kristoff.

"But Kristoff…" began Anna before Kairi interjected.

"Kristoff's right, Anna. Think about it. If whoever was responsible for this went as far as to set a fire this big to destroy the palace, I don't think they were planning on sticking around."

"But we didn't see any trace of anyone leaving coming up here. They couldn't have gotten by us. Where could they have gone?" asked Anna.

"I don't know, Anna. It doesn't look like we're going to get any answers anytime soon if at all. I think the only thing we can do right now is make repairs to the palace and then head back to Arendelle," said Elsa.

"But Elsa, what if they come back? What if Marshmallow won't be so lucky to get away next time?" asked Anna.

"I think we can assume that if they believe their fire succeeded in destroying the palace, they're not likely to return," said Elsa.

Anna sighed. "I guess that's a fair assumption. All right. I guess there really isn't anything we can do now other than start fixing this place up."

"Anyone have any ideas on how we're going to get this out?" Kristoff asked pointing the frozen woodpile.

"Good thing we have a giant snowman who's the right person for that job. Speaking of which, someone ought to go and tell Olaf, Marshmallow, Sven and Pluto what's going on and that it's safe to come in," said Kairi.

"I'll take care of that," said Anna as she made her way out of the room.

But just before she could leave, the Duke ran up to her. "Your Majesty, allow me to go and notify the snowmen and the animals of the current predicament."

"That won't be necessary, Your Grace," said Anna.

"Please. I came up here hoping I could help convince the scoundrels responsible for this of their error. But since that appears to be no longer possible, I wish to be of service to you and your sister in any way I can," said the Duke in tone that sounded almost like begging.

Anna gave a roll of her eyes before she said, "Okay. You can go and tell them what's happened if you insist on making yourself useful."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said the Duke with a bow as he left the room and headed for the stairs.

Anna turned around and once again, gazed at the frozen remains of the bonfire. She let out a heavy sigh.

Kairi rose to her feet and walked up to the princess' side. "Anna? You okay?"

"I will be, Kairi. It just doesn't feel right knowing that the people who did this will probably never answer for it," said Anna.

"I know what you mean," said Kairi as her thoughts turned to how little Xehanort paid for all the suffering he caused. _'Although, I guess being utterly defeated by Sora, Donald and Goofy despite having the __χ-blade must've been quite humiliating for him. Still, after everything he did to me and my friends, I would've preferred that he got a lot more comeuppance than that.'_

Then Anna smiled. "But I guess there is a bright side to having this all resolved now. Once we get this place back to the way it was, we can focus on finding something to help you find Sora. And since you've helped save Elsa's palace, it's now more important that we do that."

Kairi smiled. "I appreciate that, Anna. But don't feel like you have to help me to settle a debt. Like I told you before, Sora would have done the same thing."

"Well, he certainly would've been proud of what you did here today," said Elsa who had come to Kairi's side.

In spite of Elsa's praise, Kairi's spirits dropped a little. _'I hope he would be. But I really hope he'll be even prouder of me when I succeed in finding him and make up for failing to keep him safe.'_

Then the three of them noticed Kristoff had been walking around the room and looking over every detail. An expression of concern was on his face.

"Kristoff? Is something the matter?" asked Anna.

"Something doesn't seem right here. After looking over the room and from what I know about ice, I'm thinking that this fire may not have been burning for too long," said the ice harvester causing shock to the three girls.

"What makes you say that?" asked Kairi.

Kristoff pointed to the ceiling. "Look at the holes. They don't look too big. If this fire had been burning longer, they would have been a lot bigger."

"But Kristoff, Kairi and I heard the floor cracking. I had to use my powers to keep it from collapsing. Wouldn't that be a sign that this fire was burning for awhile?" asked Elsa.

"Being directly under the fire, the floor had not only the heat affecting it but also the weight of the wood. That would have caused it to melt faster," said Kristoff.

Kairi then realized something herself. "And we didn't see any smoke coming from the palace when we were outside!"

"So, that means that the fire was probably set sometime after we stepped into the palace!" exclaimed Anna.

Then, from behind them, the sound of slow clapping was heard followed by an unfamiliar female voice saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, for figuring out our ploy. Unfortunately, it will do you little good since you have put yourselves right where we want you."

All of them turned around and gasped. They were no longer alone.

Standing behind them was company of seven strangers all dressed in the same crimson colored cloaks with stylized flames around the hems and sleeves. On their chests was an emblem of what appeared to be a light blue reptilian creature baring a fierce expression with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and its body surrounded by violet flames. They were all wearing black gloves and boots. They had hoods over their heads and their faces were wrapped in dark red strips of cloth with only their eyes uncovered.

Upon seeing these strangers and their almost familiar garb, horrible memories flowed through Kairi. Memories of Xehanort and his Organization approaching her, Sora, Riku, Mickey, Axel, Aqua and Ven in the prelude to the battle that would leave her with many scars.

Then they noticed that two of the strangers on the far left had the Duke of Weselton in their clutches. They held him with his arms behind his body with one hand each while holding their other hands over his mouth as he struggled to get free.

The Duke managed to get his mouth uncovered and he frantically shouted, "They were waiting in the entry room! They somehow got past…"

"Keep him quiet!" shouted the stranger in the center who appeared to be the owner of the female voice who had spoken earlier. At her command, the ones holding the Duke put their hands back over his mouth.

The woman then stepped forward. It appeared that she was the leader of this mysterious group.

Now that she was closer, Kairi and the others could see that her left eye was covered by a black eyepatch. Her remaining green eye stared at them venomously.

Anna stomped toward the leader with a look of pure anger on her face. "So, you're the ones responsible for all this! Why are you doing this? What gives you the right to come in here and…"

Before Anna could finish her angry inquiries, the leader raised her hand as if she was making a signal. In response, the two strangers on either side of her made fast throwing motions toward the floor right in front of the princess.

Whatever they threw moved too quickly for anyone to see what it was other than giving off a bright orange glow. But whatever they were, the spot on the floor they struck suddenly burst into a small flame.

Anna stopped in her tracks as the rest of their group stared in shock. A couple of the strangers let out evil chuckles as the fire burned for a few moments before going out.

"Did they just…" began Kristoff.

"…throw fire?" finished Kairi.

The leader scraped her fingertips over her right palm and produced a small fire in her hand. "Oh, we can do a lot more than that. In fact, our power over fire enables us to do the most incredible feats much like a certain queen's ice magic."

Elsa stepped forward while trying to remain calm despite the tense situation. "Who are you? What is it that you want?"

"I am Eimyrja and we are the Order of the Flame," said the leader as she gestured to the others behind her.

Then she pointed accusingly at Elsa with her free hand. "And what we seek is justice for your crimes, Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

* * *

_**Notes from the Mad Doctor: **_

_I didn't plan on ending on another cliff-hanger but it seemed like the right way to end this chapter. You'll learn more about these original adversaries, Eimyrja and the Order of the Flame, in the next chapter. Hope you find my addition to the Frozen franchise interesting. Fun fact: their emblem is a nod to Bruni the Fire Spirit from Frozen 2 in case you didn't catch it. Although, the Order's depiction is a far cry from the adorable little guy we know and love. Also, Eimyrja is named after the daughter of the personification of fire from Norse mythology and her name means ember. It's certainly not the first time Norse names are used in the Kingdom Hearts world (Xehanort and Eraqus' master and teammates in Dark Road). And it's certainly not the first time Norse mythology was referenced in Arendelle (Anna and Elsa's mother is named after a Norse goddess and Hans' Heartless Skoll is a giant wolf is fated to swallow the sun at Ragnarok). It wasn't an easy task describing the ice palace in a state of ruin while still making the characters able to enter it. That challenge made this chapter a hard one to write. __Also, regarding Elsa not being strong enough to extinguish the bonfire, I believe that at this point, her powers are not as strong as they are in Frozen 2. _I like to imagine the scene where Kairi and Elsa extinguish that bonfire would be a good timed challenge like the ones that come up in the games (protecting the palace doors during the Shan-Yu battle in KH2 for example). I give my thanks to everyone who read this chapter and special thanks to The Not-So-Ultimate Writer and bloodyvalentinejoke for their reviews. I also give my thanks to anyone who read my other stories as well and special thanks to BerserxDuchess for their review on Waltz of the Destined. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!__


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